"In a few days, I'll take you to one of the high-level meetings, to let you see what it's like. Before the Chunin Exams, you should make an appearance. Then you can be officially known in Konoha."
"So…is this…an official debut?"
"What is that?" Tsunade asked with a frown, 'This kid always had strange words coming out of his mouth.'
"Nothing, nothing."
"Tsunade-sama, is Sakura's condition serious?" Naruto continued massaging her shoulders while subtly shifting the topic to Sakura.
"She seems to have been hospitalized. I've visited the Konoha Hospital a few times, and there's no sign of her waking up."
"It shouldn't be too serious." Tsunade sighed, "All her physical indicators are normal, but she just won't wake up."
Being Hokage was a busy job, and even though Sakura was Tsunade's apprentice, she couldn't just abandon all her duties to stay by Sakura's side all day. Moreover, there was nothing wrong with Sakura's body, it was just that she hadn't woken up yet.
Faced with such a complicated condition, even Tsunade didn't have any good solution in the short term and could only observe for a while.
"So, all we can do is wait?" Naruto was a bit surprised. He didn't have any good solution either, especially without knowing the exact cause.
"There's nothing else we can do for now. We'll have to wait and see when she wakes up." Tsunade said, "It shouldn't take too long."
"Alright."
Naruto continued to massage Tsunade's shoulders diligently until Tsunade no longer needed him, and then he slowly left the Hokage's Office.
Outside the Hokage Tower, Naruto squinted his eyes as he looked at the bright and intense sunlight flooding the street.
Sakura's situation did concern him, but as Tsunade said, for now, all they could do was wait for Sakura to wake up on her own.
With a sigh, he walked towards the direction of Konoha Hospital.
The Sunagakure's siblings had been discharged from the hospital long ago, likely after signing some kind of agreement with Konoha. In short, Konoha had acknowledged Gaara's position and treated him seriously as the future Kazekage.
The reason was simple: A Biju's Jinchuriki was irreplaceable.
The accident that happened some time ago was nothing but a conspiracy against Gaara, but conspiracies will always come to an end, and the other Sunagakure's higher-ups are not fools.
As long as they put a little thought into it, they'll realize Gaara's importance to Sunagakure.
Once the storm passes, Sunagakure will instinctively start eliminating those higher-ups that targeted Gaara, a survival instinct like cutting off a limb to save the body.
Right now, their own Biju's Jinchuriki is staying in Konoha's territory. Every day Gaara stays there will be an additional hidden danger to Sunagakure and even the entire Land of Wind.
Konoha Hospital.
Naruto, carrying a bouquet of flowers, made his way upstairs with practiced ease, passing through hallways filled with the scent of disinfectant before stopping in front of a certain room.
He didn't knock right away but peeked inside first. Usually, there would be someone keeping watch at this time, either Sakura's parents or the seniors in the medical department.
Even though Sakura had been transferred from the medical department, the Medical-nin there still had a good impression of the diligent Dark Sakura. Ever since Sakura was hospitalized, they had almost voluntarily taken turns watching over her.
Yuu from the medical department was napping in a chair by the wall, while Sakura lay quietly on the bed, receiving an IV. Her condition seemed to be no different from the previous few days.
When Naruto pushed the door open, the Medical-nin woke up immediately.
"Oh, you're here?" Yuu, who had met Naruto before, yawned and stood up, patting him on the shoulder before leaving, "Keep an eye on things, and call us if anything happens."
"Okay." Naruto agreed.
He didn't have much of a relationship with the medical department, just a familiar face. Most of the time when he woke up in the hospital, it was Sakura he saw.
Naruto replaced the flowers on the table and sat in the chair Yuu had been sitting in.
He yawned and night fell in the blink of an eye.
Watching over a patient is exhausting, and Naruto had learned from Yuu that Sakura's parents had requested the staff here to take care of her for the day, with someone else coming in the morning.
Glancing at the night outside, he decided he might as well stay until morning.
As the night deepened, the surroundings grew quieter.
The hospital room was brightly lit, and as Naruto got up to get some water, he suddenly heard a faint groan from the bed. Startled, he almost dropped the cup.
'She woke up?'
He didn't even bother to get the water. He just put the cup on the table and walked to the bed in two steps.
Sure enough, Sakura was frowning, making faint noises, looking as if she were about to wake up. Naruto felt nervous and turned to call the medical staff on duty.
Just as he turned, he felt a tug on his sleeve.
Sakura, looking a bit dazed, gripped Naruto's sleeve tightly, like clutching a lifeline. Naruto suddenly became less anxious, and he stared into Sakura's eyes.
"Sakura?" He asked.
"… Yeah." Sakura's voice was weak. She stared at Naruto for a long moment before recognizing him, "Naruto, why are you here?"
'The tone is so familiar. It's Pink Sakura.'
Naruto didn't know why, but even though he had told himself it didn't matter who woke up, whether it was Pink Sakura or Dark Sakura, as both had been good to him, when the moment finally arrived, he still felt a pang of emptiness in his heart. It was only when the scales tipped that he realized his preference leaned towards Dark Sakura.
He liked that girl who said she would stand there and actually stood there, motionless, her slender figure like a blade of grass. But she wasn't just a blade of grass, she was a living person.
Having been in this world and seen it all, she understood what was normal, and from that understanding, she realized her own abnormality. Only after witnessing others' happiness did she see herself as a mere substitute.
It wasn't fair. If a person's right to even suffer is stripped away, that's a fate worse than death.
Naruto had hoped Dark Sakura could remain, but it was only at the last moment that he convinced himself. However, whether Dark Sakura truly had the right to choose, he dared not ponder.
Even though they were all Sakura, and on the surface, nothing had changed.
But Naruto knew… and because only he knew that it made his heart ache slightly. When Sakura spoke, Naruto finally understood the meaning behind Dark Sakura's words.
'She was too clever, painfully so.'
Naruto remembered her completely, painfully, and only he would feel that pain. It wasn't the pain of loss, but the sorrow of a person who now exists only as a memory.
Just like Dark Sakura had once told him, if she disappeared, no one would remember. Now, Naruto knew she had really existed, but he couldn't tell anyone.
Only he would remember, forever, until his death.
"Naruto, I want some water." Sakura curled up and murmured weakly.
"Oh, okay!" Naruto snapped back to reality, feeling a small wound tear in his heart. He walked to the corner of the room and picked up the glass of water.
At the moment he handed the glass over, Naruto was momentarily lost in thought. Suddenly, a faint pain came from the tip of his right index finger.
Naruto's pupils widened slightly.