"This is the worst."
Naruto dropped his fork. The metallic clatter against the ceramic plate was the only sound in the room.
"Seriously," he continued, staring at his food. "Do you know how many things are worse than this? You defeat a Jinchuriki, save the entire village, lie unconscious for two days, and what's your reward? A parade? A giant medal? Free ramen for life? Nope. Steamed vegetables."
He speared a piece of broccoli with his fork and held it up to eye level, as if he were interrogating it.
"I could swear it's raw. And cold. And it's giving me a dirty look. It's a conspiracy by the doctors to torture me."
From the next bed, separated by a half drawn white curtain, came a dry voice.
"Will you shut up already?"
Naruto turned his head. He couldn't see her, but he would recognize that voice anywhere.
"I'm trying to concentrate," Temari added, her tone sharp.
"Concentrate on what? Staring at that wall? You've been doing exactly that for the last hour," Naruto retorted. He dropped the broccoli back onto his plate with a dramatic sigh. "Besides, I have every right to complain. I'm an injured patient. A war hero! I deserve decent treatment and food that doesn't taste like wet grass!"
"You're a loud brat," she replied, without a hint of amusement in her voice. "And if you don't stop shouting, I swear I'm going to get out of this bed and hit you with my good arm until you eat those carrots."
Naruto laughed, a genuine sound that seemed out of place in the sterile infirmary.
"Good luck with that. First you'd have to get past three very, very scary girls standing guard at my door. I think Sakura chan would break your other arm just for trying. Hinata would probably just look at you with disappointment, and that's worse than any punch."
"Don't tempt me," was the only response he got.
Silence settled in again, broken only by the soft murmur of activity outside the room. Naruto sighed in resignation and stabbed a piece of carrot without any enthusiasm. At least it wasn't green.
"My brother managed to escape."
Temari's statement, spoken softly and without warning, caught him by surprise.
"Gaara? Is he okay? What about the rest of your people?"
"He's fine," she answered. Her tone was still distant, but it had lost some of its harshness. "Kankuro retreated with the rest of our forces when it became clear the invasion had failed."
"Shizune neesan told me some of what happened. She said you stayed behind. That you were... a prisoner," Naruto said, chewing the carrot slowly. It tasted like nothing. "Well, I guess pretending he didn't see you is better than telling him you were taking a little vacation in the Konoha hospital. I don't think he would've believed that."
Temari didn't answer. The curtain rustled slightly as a cool breeze drifted in through the open window, carrying the distant sound of hammers and saws, the noise of a village rebuilding itself.
On the other side of the infirmary door, Sakura stood with her arms crossed so tightly her knuckles were white.
"You lied to him."
Shizune, who was standing by the nurse's counter reviewing a medication chart, looked up. Her expression was calm, professional. Hinata stood slightly behind Sakura, silent, but her fixed gaze on Shizune was just as accusing.
"Excuse me?" Shizune said, her tone perfectly neutral.
"To Kankuro," Sakura specified, taking a step forward. "You told him you didn't know anything about Temari when he asked. Why would you do that?"
Shizune placed the chart on the counter with a soft click. She leaned against it and looked at them directly, her expression unapologetic.
"Because, technically, Sakura, Temari is an enemy. She is a kunoichi from an enemy nation, captured within our borders after a declared act of war. Her official status is, and will remain until further notice, that of a prisoner of war."
"But Naruto saved her!" Hinata interjected, her voice firmer than usual. "He protected her. We didn't capture her in combat, we brought her here to heal her."
"Even if I wanted to let her go, it would be against Lady Tsunade's orders," Shizune continued with a sigh. "The fact is, keeping her here gives us a considerable strategic advantage. She's the Kazekage's daughter, the sister of the Sand's Jinchuriki, and an elite kunoichi in her own right. She is an incredibly valuable bargaining chip."
She paused, letting her words sink in.
"Telling her brother we knew nothing about her was the only way to ensure he wouldn't attempt a stupid solo rescue mission. A move like that could have immediately reignited hostilities. It was the most logical tactical decision to avoid further bloodshed."
"Logical?" Sakura shot back, her voice rising slightly, laced with disbelief. "Logical? Naruto risked his life for her! He treated her like a person, not a bargaining chip!"
"And I am trying to ensure that the risk he took was not in vain," Shizune said, her unshakeable calm only making Sakura's frustration grow. "The war isn't officially over. There is only a pause, an undeclared ceasefire."
Sakura was speechless, her mouth agape. The cold, hard reality of the shinobi world clashed head on with what she had seen in the arena, with the simple act of a boy helping a girl because she was in trouble.
The door to the room opened just then, and the sound drew everyone's attention.
Shizune picked up her chart and gave them a look that clearly said "this conversation is over."
"Let's go. It's time to check on our patients."
Naruto watched as Shizune entered, followed closely by Sakura and Hinata. The atmosphere changed instantly.
"Good morning," Shizune said with a smile. "Time to check that bandage, Temari san."
Naruto sat on the edge of his own bed, his bare feet touching the cold tile floor. He watched as Shizune approached Temari's bed and pulled the curtain completely aside, revealing the scene. Temari was tense, her gaze fixed on the ceiling.
"How are you feeling?" Sakura asked him quietly, walking over to his bed.
"Better," he answered, not taking his eyes off the other bed. "Just bored. And I have a craving for ramen so bad I could eat all of Ichiraku."
"Forget it. Soft diet for at least two more days, orders from Lady Tsunade," Sakura said, adopting her own authoritative medical tone. "And if she hears you complaining, she'll probably extend it to a week."
Naruto pouted, but his attention immediately returned to Temari. He watched her wince in pain as Shizune carefully unwrapped the bloody bandage from her right arm. The arm was bruised, an ugly purple and yellow, with a jagged scar where the bone had broken and pierced the skin.
"Well," Shizune said, her hands glowing with a soft, reassuring green chakra as she passed them over the wound. "The fracture is healing cleanly. No signs of infection. Lady Tsunade does good work when she's not intentionally breaking things."
Temari said nothing. Her jaw was clenched. Her gaze drifted around the room, as if looking for an escape route, and met Naruto's. He was just staring at her, his expression one of unfiltered curiosity. There was no pity, no judgment, just direct attention.
The awkwardness was so palpable you could almost touch it.
She looked away first, staring down at her own sheets.
"Hey," she said in a murmur, so quiet Naruto almost didn't hear her.
"Yeah?" he replied, leaning forward slightly.
"For... you know." She paused, and the words were slow to come out. "What you did. In the arena."
"Oh, that," he said, scratching the back of his neck. "It was nothing. You were in trouble, that's all."
The simplicity of his answer seemed to frustrate her more than anything. She turned sharply in bed, ignoring the stabbing pain in her arm, and her green eyes drilled into him with an emotion that wasn't gratitude. It was anger.
"Don't say it was nothing, you idiot!" she snapped, her voice suddenly loud and clear. "I almost died! That guy... he was going to kill me. And you... you saved me. We're supposed to be enemies. You should have just left me there. Why did you do it?"
Naruto looked at her, his own expression turning serious.
"I already told you. Because I know how it feels."
"That's not an answer!" she yelled, her frustration boiling over. "What's that supposed to mean? Are you pitying me? Do you think I'm weak?"
"It means that when I saw you there, lying on the ground... I saw the same thing I've seen in people's eyes my whole life," Naruto said, his voice quiet but heavy with undeniable weight. "I didn't save you because you were from Suna or Konoha. I saved you because nobody deserves to be looked at like that. For me, that's the only answer that matters."
Temari stared at him, searching his face for something more.
She let out a long sigh, a mix of frustration and exhaustion, and fell back against the pillows, looking at the ceiling once more.
"The next time we meet on a battlefield," she muttered, her voice hoarse, "I won't hesitate to blow you away with my fan."
Naruto smiled, a small, genuine smile.
"I know. And I won't hesitate to return the favor with a Rasengan."
The threat lacked any malice. It didn't sound like a challenge, but like a friendly promise. An acknowledgment of who they were.
"Everyone out."
Tsunade's voice boomed through the room. She entered without knocking, her mere presence a force of nature that made the air feel heavier. Shizune, Sakura, and Hinata instantly stiffened.
"But, Lady Tsunade, I'm in the middle of treating the patient..." Shizune began, barely holding on to her professionalism.
"I said out," Tsunade repeated, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Now. I need to speak alone with my most troublesome patient."
The three girls left the room without another word, shooting Naruto looks that ranged from concern (Hinata) to warning (Sakura). The door closed behind them, leaving a sudden, tense silence.
Tsunade walked to Naruto's bed. She just stood there, looking down at him with her arms crossed. The sunlight from the window highlighted the tired lines around her eyes.
"I heard you were complaining about the food," she said, her voice a low growl.
"It's poison," Naruto replied without hesitation. "A slow, tasteless assassination attempt."
"It's nutritious."
"It tastes like wet cardboard."
Tsunade sighed, a long, weary sound. She ran a hand over her face. "You'll survive, brat."
They were quiet for a moment. Naruto watched her. She looked truly exhausted.
"Grandma Tsunade," he began, his voice losing all its joking tone and turning serious.
"What?"
"Have you thought about it?"
She frowned. "Thought about what? I have thousands of things to think about right now, Naruto..."
"About my offer," he interrupted, his gaze locked on hers. "To join us. For real. To be part of the family."
The question hung in the air between them, heavy and real. For a fraction of a second, Tsunade's facade seemed to crumble.
She let out a long, slow sigh. It was, without a doubt, the sound of surrender.
Without another word, Tsunade turned around.
She stood there, her back to him, in the center of the silent room. Her long blonde hair fell down her back, covering the kanji for "gamble" (賭) on the back of her green jacket.
***
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