"By the way, why are you even in my hospital room?" After chatting for a while, Sasuke suddenly realized something.
When he first woke up, he hadn't expected to see Naruto, let alone find him snacking on what was probably meant to be his get-well gifts.
"Oh, Natsuro told me you were in the hospital again, so we decided to visit together." Naruto explained casually.
"Together?" Sasuke caught onto the key word.
"Yep! We were all coming together, but Sakura wanted to stop by the flower shop first, so she sent me ahead with the fruit." Naruto nodded.
Sasuke took a moment, then nodded as well.
"You weren't awake yet, and I got kinda bored waiting, so I grabbed some fruit." Naruto grinned.
"You don't mind, right?"
Sasuke sighed. "Just eat whatever you want."
"Heheh."
A moment later, Sakura walked in, carrying a bouquet of white lilies.
Upon seeing Sasuke awake, her eyes lit up.
"Sasuke! You're already awake?" She sounded relieved, but also a little disappointed.
If Sasuke had stayed hospitalized longer, she could have volunteered to take care of him instead of the nurses. That way, they'd have some alone time together.
"Just woke up a little while ago." Sasuke nodded.
Not long after, Shikamaru, Chōji, and Ino arrived, each carrying different gifts.
"Seriously? You're in the hospital again?" Shikamaru sighed, looking at Sasuke.
"You're the strongest one among us, but you get hospitalized the most."
"Hey, hey, hey! I'm the strongest one here!" Naruto immediately protested.
Shikamaru wasn't interested in arguing. "Sure, sure. Whatever you say."
They all knew not to include Natsuro in that comparison, he was in a different league entirely.
Still, between Naruto and Sasuke, Shikamaru found Sasuke more reliable.
Strong. Smart. Unlike a certain spiky-haired loudmouth.
"Sasuke, get well soon! Here, you can have some of my snacks." Chōji reluctantly offered a bag of his favorite chips.
Sasuke blinked. Chōji… was sharing food?
"I appreciate it, but I don't really eat snacks. Thanks, though." He refused politely, still a little surprised.
Chōji only shared food when he really cared about someone.
"Chōji, put that away! That won't help a patient recover!" Ino scolded him, rubbing her forehead.
Then, she glanced at the window. Sure enough, Sakura had already placed a bouquet of lilies there.
"Here, I got sunflowers for you." Ino said, placing her own bouquet beside Sakura's.
"Get well soon, Sasuke."
"Thanks." Sasuke smiled and nodded.
After a while, Shikamaru, Chōji, and Ino left together.
On the way out, Shikamaru casually commented, "Looks like something good must've happened to Sasuke this time."
"Huh? How is getting injured good?" Chōji asked, confused.
Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Didn't you notice? He's smiling more now. And he's not as gloomy as before."
Ino nodded in agreement. "Yeah, his mind feels much clearer too."
As an expert in mental techniques, Ino's observations carried weight.
They didn't know exactly what had happened, but, they were all happy for their friend.
Shortly after, Kiba, Hinata, and Shino arrived.
Kiba was as rowdy as ever. Hinata still seemed shy, but more composed than before. And Shino… remained almost invisible, as usual.
Like the others, they didn't stay long.
Naruto, however, ended up leaving with Hinata. Sasuke didn't think much of it, until his next visitors arrived.
To Sasuke's surprise, members of the Taijutsu Squad also showed up. The moment Neji saw him, his gaze didn't waver. He wanted to ask something, but hesitated. Sasuke already knew. The Caged Bird Seal.
"You're not mistaken." Sasuke said calmly.
Neji's eyes widened slightly. Then, he smiled.
"Congratulations."
"Thanks. Hope you can get free too." Sasuke replied.
Neji shook his head.
"If it were just me, I'd already be free." His expression softened, showing rare gratitude.
"The Hokage helped me remove my seal. But now, my goal is to free the entire clan."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
Then, he thought about it, it was Natsuro. Of course. It wasn't surprising at all that he had helped Neji remove the seal.
"That's a much harder path than mine." Sasuke admitted.
Neji's resolve didn't waver. "But it's a path I will succeed in."
His determination was absolute.
Before anyone else could speak, a loud, worried voice rang through the hospital.
"SASUKE!!!"
Sasuke immediately winced.
Turning his head, he saw Sakura's face darken.
"Here we go…"
Sure enough, the moment Karin entered the room, she rushed straight for Sasuke.
But before she could get any closer, Sakura blocked her path.
"No shouting in the hospital!" Sakura's voice was firm.
"Move! Sasuke's hurt! He needs to bite me so he can heal!" Karin snapped back immediately.
Sasuke sighed. "Karin, I don't need that. I'm fine."
Sakura smirked. "Told you. I'll be taking care of Sasuke from now on."
Her pride was practically radiating from her. Karin visibly deflated. But truthfully, Sasuke had never used Karin's healing ability since arriving in Konoha. Unless someone was in critical condition, Konoha's medical resources were enough.
Karin wanted Sasuke to use her ability, but, Sasuke had always refused.
At this point, it was more about Karin wanting an excuse to be useful.
"I don't need caretakers." Sasuke finally said.
"I'll be out of the hospital soon."
Instantly, Karin perked up, While Sakura looked irritated.
The bickering started all over again. Sasuke ignored them, instead looking at Jūgo, who had remained silent in the back.
"Jūgo, do you remember what we talked about when we first met?" Sasuke asked, his gaze calm yet firm.
Jūgo nodded, looking at Sasuke. Then, he noticed something different. There was something new in Sasuke's eyes, something Jūgo hadn't seen before. And for the first time, his own eyes held a glimmer of anticipation.
"I've done it." Sasuke said, smiling.
Jūgo's eyes widened. For a moment, he couldn't believe it.
"It's not just Sasuke." Neji spoke from the side.
Jūgo turned to look at Neji, and he saw it there too.
Neji was different from before. Sasuke was different from before.
Both of them, had broken free.
For the first time, Jūgo felt genuine joy for them. But then, he clenched his fists.
If, before, he had doubted that his own cage could be broken. Now, seeing Sasuke and Neji's success, he finally saw hope.
For the first time, Jūgo's eyes carried light.
After some time, everyone left.
Even Sakura and Karin, who had both refused to leave at first, ended up dragging each other out in their usual rivalry.
At last, the hospital room fell into silence. If this had been before, Sasuke would have thought, "Too noisy."
Well, he still thought it was a bit too noisy. But his heart was at ease. Because in that loudness, Sasuke had realized something, he was never alone.
Some bonds were closer, like Naruto and Sakura.
Others were more distant. But did that really matter?
Sasuke thought back to all the faces that had come to visit him and he smiled.
It was because of them, that he wanted to return here.
Sasuke reached up, touching his left eye. Maybe, just maybe, that's why he awakened this power.
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Currently on Chapter 326 - The Ryuuchi Cave and A Surpising New Cast
Tomorrow's Chapter - Chapter 273: Amenotejikara?