deltrittennovels Chapter 105 Vulnerability
Chapter 105 Vulnerability
【Ding! 】
[Congratulations, host! You have established a Level 2 bond with the original character "Uchiha Shisui"!]
[Reward points earned: 500!]
【Ding! 】
[Congratulations, host! You have established a bond level of 10 with the original character "Uchiha Sasuke"! (The relationship has undergone a fundamental change! You must reach adulthood to unlock and view this information.)]
[Reward points earned: 1500!]
This was a series of notifications that rang last night, especially the huge gain of 1500 points and the meaningful "relationship change" note. However, the huge gain of points did not bring joy. Instead, it made Naruto, who was guarding the hospital bed at this moment, feel uneasy, guilty and ashamed.
Let's rewind a bit and go back to late last night.
When Menma and Shisui, carrying the completely unconscious Uchiha Itachi, returned to the underground base of the [Jin] organization located in the Land of Hot Springs using the Flying Thunder God Technique, the situation was chaotic.
Some of the Uchiha clan members who had been transferred here earlier have begun to wake up. They find themselves in a completely unfamiliar underground facility, surrounded by equally bewildered clansmen, their memories still stuck on the moment when their houses were attacked and they were knocked unconscious by the masked man.
This blatant act of "kidnapping" was enough to plunge any ordinary person into extreme panic. Whispers and frantic questioning filled the air, creating an atmosphere of extreme tension.
As soon as Menma and Shisui appeared, they immediately attracted all the surprised and uncertain gazes.
Without any delay, Menma and Shisui locked Itachi, who had lost his sight and power, in a special confinement room.
He then immediately faced the restless crowd. He removed his fox mask, revealing a face familiar to many of his clansmen—Uchiha Shisui.
Next... everyone! Please be quiet! Listen to me! I am Uchiha Shisui! Don't panic! We weren't kidnapped, but... we were rescued from a plot to exterminate the Uchiha... or something like that.
Shisui explained the current situation, Shimura Danzo's conspiracy, and the protection offered by the [Jin] organization to the shocked clansmen in the simplest way.
All these complex tasks of appeasement, explanation, and stability maintenance were left to Zhishui and Richa by Mianma.
After doing all this, the [Menma] shadow clone, which had been running around all night and was extremely exhausted, could no longer maintain itself and with a "bang," it turned into a wisp of white smoke and disappeared without a trace.
All the memories, exhaustion, and gains it carried instantly returned to the consciousness of its original self—Naruto Uzumaki—far away in Konoha Hospital.
Let's go back to the present.
Naruto looked into Sasuke's eyes, which still held traces of fear and sorrow, and prepared himself. He intended to spend enough time explaining to her in detail why his penetrating wounds had healed, and even planned to reveal the existence of Kurama within him.
He organized his thoughts, waiting for the inevitable questions Zuo Yue would ask about his injuries.
but……
Zuo Yue's reaction completely surprised him. She didn't rush to ask about his injuries, but just looked at him with her misty, unfocused eyes, her voice light and airy.
"Naruto...is this...a dream? Or...was everything that happened last night...just a terrible nightmare?"
Naruto shook his head. "...It's not a dream. What happened last night, and what's happening now...it's not a dream."
Hearing this answer, Satsuki's voice trembled even more deeply. "Then why... I clearly saw... at that time... you bled so much... clearly..."
Her gaze fell on the spot next to Naruto's heart, where there was only tearing in his clothes, but no trace of injury.
Naruto tried to explain in as light a tone as possible. "Well... it might be a bit complicated. It's kind of a special ability I have... that I was born with?"
"After being injured, he recovers much faster than the average person..." He carefully laid the groundwork, preparing to smoothly introduce the existence of Kurama.
He waited for Satsuki to ask him, as usual, with curiosity or dissatisfaction, "What kind of ability is it?" or "Explain yourself!"
However, once again, Satsuki's reaction caught him off guard.
She didn't ask any further questions.
She simply lowered her head slightly, her black hair falling down and obscuring her expression. Several seconds later, she was heard murmuring softly over and over again.
"Is that so..."
"Oh, I see..."
She didn't delve into what that "special ability" actually was, nor did she question whether the explanation was reasonable.
Once the only important fact that "Naruto is really alright" and "Naruto is still safe and sound by my side" was confirmed, everything else became irrelevant.
Then, she reached out and gently took Naruto's hand in hers. She didn't say anything more, just leaned there silently, letting her tears fall without a sound.
Those tears were no longer a hysterical breakdown, but a complex release of relief after surviving a catastrophe, mixed with endless sorrow and a faint sense of peace.
Seeing her like this, Naruto found all the words of explanation he had prepared stuck in his throat. In the end, he chose to stay silently by her side.
In this atmosphere filled with sorrow and silence, there was a gentle knock on the ward door. A medical ninja entered.
"Sorry to bother you."
The medical ninja spoke softly, "We just received an urgent notification from the Hokage... regarding the situation of the Uchiha clan last night... it seems that a very small number of survivors were found in the clan compound, including two... who seem to be directly related to you by blood."
------
"Although the vital signs of the two patients are currently stable, their internal organs have suffered extensive burns and damage. With the current level of medical ninjutsu, we are unable to perform effective repair surgery safely."
"I'm sorry... the chances of them waking up are extremely slim. Please prepare for the worst."
In another ward, the medical ninja explained the situation in a somber tone. His gaze fell on the two hospital beds placed side by side at the front of the ward, where the unconscious Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto lay quietly.
Their faces were as pale as paper, and they had life-sustaining IV drips and various monitoring cables inserted into their bodies.
This was precisely the result of Menma's earlier intervention—he merely used the combination of Gold Experience and Crazy Diamond to forcibly keep them alive and stop the most fatal injuries from worsening, but he did not perform a complete cure.
Zuoyue's face instantly lost all color, and the rollercoaster of emotions once again severely impacted her young mind.
The immense joy that had just ignited, the fact that her parents were still alive, was instantly shattered by the cruel diagnosis that "life is worse than death."
"...What...does this mean?" Satsuki's voice trembled so badly it was almost incoherent. She instinctively grabbed Naruto's hand tightly, so hard that Naruto felt a slight pain.
The medical ninja looked at Satsuki with pity and helplessness. "It means... these two survivors will most likely remain in this comatose state indefinitely, perhaps... never waking up. Please... be prepared for a long-term commitment."
In fact, this medical ninja knew that Konoha was not without people who could treat this level of injury—one of the legendary Sannin, Lady Tsunade, might have a solution.
But as a mere medical ninja, he was not qualified to make such a vague guarantee to the family, much less promise that he could persuade that person to come.
Zuo Yue seemed to have all her strength drained away. She slowly and somewhat unsteadily walked to the chair next to the hospital bed and sat down. Her petite body trembled like a withered leaf in the wind.
Seeing Satsuki's condition, Naruto felt a mix of emotions. He hadn't expected that Konoha's current medical standards wouldn't even be able to completely heal such an injury.
A hint of doubt and self-blame quietly emerged—had I made a mistake by not completely curing them back then?
But at this moment, he had to suppress these thoughts. He walked to Zuo Yue's side and said in an extremely firm tone, "Zuo Yue...it's alright. Uncle and Auntie will definitely recover, they will definitely wake up."
Satsuki looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears. "But... the doctor said..."
"No!" Naruto interrupted her, saying each word clearly, "They'll be alright! I promise you! Soon, they'll be home healthy and safe! They'll all be fine! I'm 100% sure!"
His tone was so certain.
The medical ninja watching Naruto "comfort" the family members thought it was just a stubborn refusal to accept reality and a wishful thinking. He sighed inwardly, shook his head helplessly, and silently left the ward, leaving the two children alone.