Konoha Hospital.
A cool evening breeze snaked through the window cracks into the ward, gently stirring the light blue curtains with a faint whooshing sound.
After finishing Sakumo's muscle care and body cleaning, Naraku sat on the small stool by the bed, pulled Sakumo's thin but large left hand to his front, and meticulously trimmed his nails.
On the bedside table sat a slender, delicate celadon vase, holding the last cherry blossom branch Naraku had received from the wedding.
The vase contained a specially formulated medicinal solution, so even after ten days or half a month, the cherry blossoms would remain as fresh and vibrant as when they were first picked.
After finishing the nail care, Naraku casually nurtured the flower branch with Medical Chakra and murmured.
"Master… today Sister Kana said that whoever receives these flowers will be lucky for a whole year…"
"So, you will definitely have good luck…"
"When Master you wake up, Kakashi will have a father again… and I can…"
The last half of the sentence was swallowed back, turning into a prolonged silence.
Naraku sighed helplessly, just about to place Sakumo's left hand back beside his body, when unexpectedly, as soon as he touched it, his two fingers were tightly grasped by Sakumo.
"Ma-Master…?"
He quickly bent down and called out softly.
However, after that, Sakumo had no other reaction.
But those two tightly clasped fingers clearly indicated that he was no longer an unconscious "living dead."
Naraku placed his free right hand on Sakumo's forehead, carefully sensing the brain's active signals through Medical Ninjutsu.
Hard work pays off; after careful examination, he found that Sakumo's brain activity was significantly higher than during the last check-up.
Although it still couldn't compare to a normal person, as long as he continued to recover at this rate, the day he woke up would soon come.
Suppressing his excited feelings, Naraku carefully—even somewhat reluctantly—pried open Sakumo's fingers and placed his large hand back on the edge of the quilt.
Then he said with a feigned ease: "I knew Master would have good luck."
Kakashi, who walked in with a bento box, only heard that one sentence and casually asked, "What good luck?"
"Kakashi!"
Due to his extreme happiness, Naraku's voice was two octaves higher than usual; even without a smile, one could feel his excitement.
"Master just reacted!"
Kakashi, who was walking over, froze: "What?"
"He only moved once… but Master's brain is more active than before, so it's highly likely he's recovering little by little…"
Kakashi seemed to awaken from a dream, hurried to the bedside with the bento box, and looking at his father's still deeply sleeping face, many hopes bloomed in his heart.
When his father woke up, their family of three could truly be reunited.
They could finally sit at home together watching New Year's fireworks, strolling through lively summer festivals, and sparring with Ninjutsu and swordsmanship, just like before… He must surely give his father a big surprise now.
Kakashi couldn't help but smile.
Then he noticed that Naraku had once again completed all the work alone while he was away.
"Didn't you say you'd wait for me?"
Before Naraku could apologize, Kakashi preemptively covered his mouth, put down the bento box with his other hand, and then, as usual, vigorously rubbed his cheeks with both hands.
"Mmm… lulu…"
"I won't listen to anything you say this time, take that."
"Guh uh…"
Naraku was still trying to speak, but all his words blurred into meaningless syllables, so he just gave up and let Kakashi tease him.
Seeing that Naraku finally had nothing to say, Kakashi released his hands contentedly, allowing him to cover his face and silently accuse him of his "misdeeds" with his eyes.
"Alright, let's eat. Today it's pan-fried saury, pickled radish, stir-fried greens, and rice."
...Underground experimental base.
"You mean, Sakumo reacted?"
Orochimaru put down the reagent in his hand, took Naraku's experimental report, and read it carefully, raising his eyebrows slightly at the clearly fluctuating data.
Judging from the growth trend, if he continued to recover at this rate, Sakumo could awaken from his long sleep in as little as six months, or at most two years.
Even Orochimaru, with his excellent scientific literacy, marveled that it was truly a medical miracle.
--God finally favored this poor child.
No one understood better than he how much Naraku had truly given.
In his short thirteen years of life, countless days were spent toiling in the laboratory, seeking that elusive glimmer of hope.
Working day and night, forgetting to eat and sleep, was not enough to describe how persistent this child was.
Of course, the most important things were his talent and good luck, which were beyond the reach of ordinary people.
"Congratulations, Naraku."
Orochimaru returned the folder, and with a rather dark sense of humor, told a bad joke: "Perhaps after some time, I can have a good chat with Sakumo about how hard his little apprentice worked to save him."
Naraku: ??? ...No, Uncle Snake, we're such good friends, and you're still backstabbing me? Are you addicted or something???
"Heh heh heh…"
Orochimaru was amused by Naraku's suddenly wide, disbelieving eyes, and a short, hoarse laugh escaped his throat.
Facing the ready-made, self-delivering assistant, he unceremoniously pointed to the experimental bench next to him: "Are you free today? Help me run a few repeated experiments."
Naraku: But, you didn't even give me a chance to refuse, did you? (ꐦ Ò ‸ Ó )
Considering how much help he had received over the years, Naraku, while complaining, dutifully began to work, and incidentally sent a Shadow Clone to tell Kakashi that he would be home late... Time flew by, and it was now summer.
The weather gradually became hot, shedding the last trace of gentle spring warmth.
The sun hung high in the sky every day, its powerful heat like a red-hot blade, sharply cutting through the atmosphere and baking the road surface until it was scorching and white.
The air also became humid and sticky; walking through it felt like moving through a thick liquid, each step stirring the invisible, moisture-laden air that could be wrung out.
Konoha Hospital, outside the delivery room.
The noisy chirping of cicadas outside the window penetrated the closed window frames, echoing repeatedly in the corridor, bringing with it some of the outdoor heat.
Uchiha Fugaku had pushed aside all his work to be present for the birth; even though he knew his wife would be fine, he still paced back and forth nervously.
Naraku and Kakashi sat side by side on chairs, their eyes following Fugaku's movements left and right, completely understanding his current anxiety.
Four-year-old Itachi sat next to Naraku, praying in his heart that, as his father said, his mother would safely give birth to his younger brother.
After a while longer, a doctor came out of the door, smiling as he told Fugaku.
"Congratulations, Clan Head Fugaku, Lady Mikoto has successfully given birth to a son. They can return to the ward to rest once their condition is further stabilized."
"Good, good, thank you."
Fugaku's great burden was lifted; after watching the doctor return to the delivery room, his tense expression finally relaxed, revealing a clear smile.
Itachi excitedly pounced on Naraku, cheering softly: "That's great, Mama and little brother are both fine!"
Naraku patted Itachi's still tender shoulder: "Yeah, that's really great."
The four waited at the door until Mikoto was wheeled out holding the baby, and then they all followed her back to the ward.
Mikoto was in excellent health, and with Naraku's gentle Medical Chakra for replenishment, she had already recovered five or six tenths by the time they reached the ward.
The couple was busy with their affectionate exchanges, so the task of watching the child fell to Naraku, Kakashi, and Itachi.
Naraku and Kakashi had seen what newborns looked like when Itachi was born that year, so they weren't as curious about the baby.
But it was Itachi's first time, and this was his own younger brother; he leaned over the crib, his eyes full of stars as he looked from left to right, and very gently touched his brother's face.
The newborn baby was sleeping peacefully, his features tiny, his cheeks plump; there was no hint that he would become the chief handsome second pillar of naruto in the future.
But in Itachi's eyes, his younger brother was the cutest creature in the world, a miracle of life.
From the first moment he saw his younger brother, it was as if the 'little brother complex' gene in his bloodline had been activated, and his eyes were filled with this adorable little baby.
"Just as Little Itachi said, it's a boy."
Even his own mother, Mikoto, hadn't specifically asked about the baby's gender during pregnancy; she only knew it was a son a few minutes earlier than Fugaku.
And Naraku had also said it would be a boy, so she couldn't help but be surprised by her two children's accurate intuition.
"When Little Itachi was in Mama's tummy, Naraku also said you were a boy. Truly brothers, your instincts are so accurate."
"Really, Mama?"
Itachi excitedly looked up, confirming that his older brother truly loved him the most, and with his affection for his younger brother, he immediately promised.
"I will take good care of my younger brother, just like my older brother takes care of me!"
Mikoto made a 'thumbs up' gesture with her right arm: "Yes, Little Itachi, you can do it! You have to learn how to be a good older brother!"
"Yes! I will do my best!"