A month later...
The Nine-Tails' jinchūriki of the Hidden Leaf Village was fortunate enough to survive.
When Naruto was first rushed to the hospital, every medical ninja who examined him just shook their heads and waved their hands in disbelief.
They were certain the boy wouldn't live for much longer. But just a week later, Naruto's vitals returned to normal.
Then, the hospital said he'd be crippled for life, as his entire skeleton had been shattered. Surely, he'd spend the rest of his days in a hospital bed. Yet, another week later, not only had Naruto's bones fully healed, but there wasn't even a scar to be found on his body.
The Hidden Leaf Hospital began to question reality. Some even thought they'd stumbled upon a medical miracle.
Everyone had a new level of respect for Naruto's recovery abilities.
The Hidden Leaf Hospital had been established during Tsunade's time, and most of the current medical ninja had trained under her. Some of them had seen Uzumaki Kushina, the previous Nine-Tails jinchūriki, and a few had even witnessed the first Nine-Tails jinchūriki, Uzumaki Mito.
Based on Naruto's age and the severity of his injuries, if it had been one of the previous jinchūriki, they would have already begun funeral preparations.
In short, this generation's Nine-Tails jinchūriki was truly remarkable.
---
Inside the Sealed Space—
"Hey, Big Fox, when do you think I'll wake up?"
Naruto lay on a sofa, holding a piece of roasted meat in his left hand that he'd snatched from the fox, and a chilled grape soda in his right.
Ever since he had fallen unconscious, his consciousness had been stuck in the sealed space.
Kurama, the Nine-Tails, glared at him and began his usual tirade. He was genuinely infuriated by this brat.
Messing around with some random ninjutsu like that! If it hadn't been for Kurama's chakra keeping him alive, Naruto would have already met his mother, Kushina, in the afterlife.
The thought of being remembered as the tailed beast of a jinchūriki who ran headfirst into the village's barrier was enough to make Kurama's chakra flare in frustration. If the other tailed beasts ever found out, he'd never hear the end of it.
"You're the worst jinchūriki I've ever had!" Kurama growled.
Naruto turned his head, startled. That line sounded exactly like something his old teacher would say—You're the worst class I've ever taught...
The overwhelming presence of "Teacher Kurama" was too much.
"Once you recover, your training will be doubled," Kurama continued. "As my jinchūriki... you're far too weak! When I was your age, I was way stronger than you."
Kurama lectured him while munching on skewered meat, as if passing down wisdom to a lazy student.
Naruto scratched his head, unsure of how to respond.
'Seriously, though?' Naruto thought. 'You were a six-year-old tailed beast, and you're comparing yourself to me?'
Naruto didn't dare argue. He feared angering Kurama even further.
After finishing his meal, Naruto noticed that his body had healed a lot. His absurd recovery rate wasn't just due to his Uzumaki bloodline or Kurama's chakra; it also had something to do with the magical dragon meat he'd been consuming since he was young, which helped heal both his body and spirit.
Even within the sealed space, eating seemed to aid in his recovery.
"Come on, Big Fox, can't you give me a break?" Naruto pleaded. "I haven't had a single day of rest since I started training chakra!"
Naruto sighed, realizing his life in this world was even tougher than his previous one as a corporate drone. At least back then, he'd get a day or two off each month.
But with "Teacher Kurama," there was no such thing as a weekend. Now that he was recovering, it seemed training would only get more intense...
'I'm still a kid, you know! Can't you care about my mental health, too?' Naruto thought bitterly.
"Hmph!" Kurama scoffed, ignoring Naruto's protests.
Getting stronger was something this kid had asked for himself. Besides, Kurama could sense it—it was time for Naruto to wake up.
The Nine-Tails paused his eating, glanced at Naruto, and said, "Look over there."
Naruto instinctively turned his head in the direction Kurama was pointing.
And with a swift slap, Kurama knocked him out of the sealed space.
---
On the hospital bed, wrapped head to toe like a mummy, Naruto stirred. His eyelids twitched, and with a sudden jerk, he sat up straight.
"Caught me off guard!" Naruto gritted his teeth, shouting internally at the fox for playing dirty and kicking him out while he wasn't paying attention.
He had been eager to wake up, but after learning his training would be intensified, staying in the sealed space didn't seem so bad...
Sunlight filtered through the window, casting a soft glow on Naruto's face. Though it wasn't harsh, he still found it a bit too bright.
Naruto raised his hand to shield his eyes, peering through the gaps in his fingers at the world outside. For a moment, a sense of peace washed over him.
"Being alive is really something," he muttered, taking in the familiar sights.
His attention shifted to the nightstand, where a pile of get-well cards and a fruit basket filled with bananas and apples awaited. He picked through the cards, noticing that most were from Hinata, the shy little girl from his class. There were also cards from Kakashi, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, and Ino...
'Wait, even Sakura?'
Naruto blinked in surprise. He didn't remember ever talking to most of his classmates, especially not Sakura.
'Oh well... not that it really mattered.'
Naruto grabbed an apple from the basket, rubbed it on his hospital gown, and took a big bite. Mid-bite, though, he suddenly noticed the patient in the bed next to him.
'Uchiha Sasuke?'
Seeing Sasuke lying there, Naruto froze, apple halfway to his mouth. Sasuke looked... spaced out, almost like he wasn't all there.
Sasuke lay on his back, his eyes wide open but vacant, his expression completely lifeless.
'Wait!'
'Naruto's eyes widened as realization hit him. Was the Uchiha Clan... gone?'
He had intended to greet Sasuke, but upon realizing the gravity of the situation, he hesitated. Now wasn't the time to say something careless that might make things worse.
Naruto felt a pang of sympathy for Sasuke. To go from a happy family life to having his clan annihilated by the brother he loved the most... it was unimaginable.
When he thought about Sasuke's life, Naruto realized that, in some ways, Sasuke was the only normal person in the world of shinobi. By comparison, the original "chosen one," well... his story was a bit more complicated.
Naruto sighed, watching his classmate. He'd fought Sasuke once, making him one of the few peers Naruto felt any connection to.
The only other person Naruto was somewhat familiar with in the village was Hinata. Now, there was Sasuke.
Naruto wanted to comfort him, but unfortunately, he didn't have any magic words to make things better. After thinking for a bit, he pulled a golden apple out of his system.
The golden apple could restore some health and energy. Naruto never ate these things himself, so he figured it might help Sasuke recover a little.
He quietly changed into a fresh set of clothes from his system, then tiptoed over to Sasuke's bedside. He gently placed the golden apple on the nightstand.
Sasuke didn't react. He just continued staring blankly at the ceiling.
Seeing this, Naruto said nothing. He left the room silently.
A few minutes after Naruto left, Sasuke blinked and regained a little clarity. His eyes fell on the golden apple beside his bed. He stared at it for a long time, then slowly picked it up. Burying his face in his blanket, he whispered through sobs, "Uzumaki... Naruto..."
"Thank you."
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