When Naruto opened his eyes again, he found himself lying in a hospital bed.
The pure white ceiling above and the sharp smell of disinfectant left no doubt—this was a hospital.
After a brief reboot of his mind, flashes of the battle suddenly came rushing back.
The last image seemed frozen in his memory: Gaara's disdainful eyes.
But why was he in the Konoha hospital?
Wasn't he supposed to be in the tower at the center of the Forest of Death, competing with Gaara for the Chunin exam qualification?
A flood of questions took over his mind.
Just then, the sound of a door opening interrupted his thoughts.
He turned his head toward the door and saw Sasuke and Sakura entering.
"That's great! You're finally awake, Naruto!"
Sakura walked over with a bouquet of fresh flowers, her face full of smiles. "It's good that you woke up. Don't scare us like that next time."
"Sakura, Sasuke."
Naruto looked at the two visitors, hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke the question weighing on his heart.
"Did I lose?"
Hearing this, Sakura and Sasuke both changed expressions slightly, then fell silent together.
Seeing their reaction, the hope in Naruto's heart completely died.
He hung his head in disappointment.
"So, I lost, huh?"
"It's okay. It's just a fight, don't take it too hard," Sasuke said, looking at Naruto's downcast face with some pity.
"Besides, you can't blame yourself. That guy tampered with your body. If it weren't for that, you definitely wouldn't have lost."
"Yeah, yeah, it's just an exam. Didn't I lose too?"
Sakura plopped down beside the bed and patted Naruto's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.
"I'm fine."
Naruto lowered his head, looking like a stiff corpse, his voice hoarse.
"Sorry, I'm a bit tired. Could you please leave? I want to be alone for a while."
Sakura wanted to say more, but Sasuke stopped her.
"Forget it. Let him be alone for now."
Sasuke's eyes showed a flicker of worry, but she could also understand the deep disappointment in Naruto's heart at this moment.
He had worked so hard, all just to gain recognition from the village. He had entered the exam full of confidence, yet in the end, he fell at the third stage.
What's worse, he was almost completely defenseless throughout, crushed under an overwhelming force.
More importantly, Gaara's few simple words shattered the boy's pride into pieces.
Though Sasuke and Sakura remained deeply concerned about Naruto's current state, they respected his choice and quietly stepped out of the hospital room.
In the empty ward, Naruto sat alone on the bed.
His mind kept flashing back to that day—Orochimaru's words: If you want to know the whereabouts of your parents, go find him.
Following that was Gaara's cold, disdainful gaze.
He was too weak, powerless to resist.
He had made up his mind—to find his parents, to earn the village's recognition, to become the greatest Hokage.
But in the end, he hadn't accomplished any of it.
"I'm too weak."
Naruto lowered his eyes, staring at the bandaged palm of his hand. Suddenly, a fierce desire welled up inside him.
He had to become stronger!
He had to find his missing parents!
If only he had power, he wouldn't have ended up like this.
If he could be just a little stronger, he wouldn't have lost to Gaara.
If he could become so strong that he could ignore everything, then he wouldn't care about what others think!
Even Naruto himself didn't realize it, but unknowingly, his thoughts had suddenly started to change.
If at this moment Sakura and Sasuke were still here, they would definitely notice the mysterious strange pattern spreading in Naruto's eyes—an eerie glow that was hard to describe.
After leaving the hospital room, Sakura still couldn't stop worrying. She glanced back at the window of the room and said, "Do you really think Naruto will be okay?"
"Don't forget, he's Naruto," Sasuke said with a slight smile. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and her eyes seemed to shine.
"Since he was little, he's been through so much pain. Has he ever really been defeated?"
Thinking about it, it did seem true. Sakura felt a lot more at ease. Then she turned to Sasuke with a mischievous look, staring straight at her.
"W-what's wrong?"
Sasuke took a few steps back, looking a little scared.
But Sakura moved closer again, her eyes burning with curiosity and a strange expression that was hard to read.
Who knew how such a cute girl could make such a sneaky face?
"What's wrong with you?" Sasuke shivered.
Sakura grabbed Sasuke's arm so she couldn't pull away, then leaned in close to whisper in her ear softly, "Do you… like Naruto?"
Buzz!
In an instant, Sasuke's head felt like a boiling kettle, steam rising from it.
Her entire face turned bright red, and her ears glowed like steamed shrimp.
"N-no, no, no, I don't!"
Sasuke looked flustered, stumbling over her words.
"I-I-I-I... n-no, no, no, who said I have a crush on Naruto?"
"Hahaha!"
But to Sakura's eyes, this was the clearest proof.
"Still pretending? Look at how red your face is!" She nudged Sasuke with her elbow, a sly smile playing on her lips.
"Tsk tsk tsk, who would've thought our genius of the generation, Uchiha Sasuke, would fall for such a troublemaker? This is big news!"
"No! I'm not! Don't say things like that!"
Sasuke waved her hands anxiously, denying it again and again.
But just like Sakura said, her shy, flushed face was the best evidence.
"Hey, can you tell me why you like Naruto?" Sakura's curious eyes sparkled with excitement.
"I don't," Sasuke's voice was quieter this time.
"Oh, okay, okay, not 'like' then." Sakura grinned and changed the subject smoothly.
"Then tell me, why do you admire Naruto? What qualities does he have?"
"Maybe... it was during the Land of Waves mission."
Sasuke's eyes grew distant, lost in memories.
"Land of Waves?"
Sakura blinked and nodded slowly.
"That mission was really dangerous, wasn't it?"
Sasuke just smiled quietly, without saying more.
That mission in the Land of Waves was probably their squad's toughest escort assignment.
They encountered the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist — the Demon of the Hidden Mist Zabuza and the ice-style ninja Haku — who nearly pushed them to the brink of disaster.
At one point, she and Naruto were trapped inside Haku's ice crystal mirror.
With their chakra and stamina nearly drained, they faced ice spikes coming from all directions.
It was Naruto who acted without hesitation, shielding her in his arms and using his body to block the deadly attacks.
Perhaps it was from that moment Sasuke began to see Naruto in a new light.
She often secretly watched Naruto, seeing him collapse from exhaustion during training.
She had also seen the lonely expression on Naruto's face when he was alone.
They were alike, yet somehow different.
For these reasons, Sasuke couldn't help but want to understand Naruto more deeply.
*******
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