Chapter 11: Dad, I Want to Become Mighty and Strong!

"Where am I?" When Naruto woke up from unconsciousness, he saw an unfamiliar ceiling and smelled the scent of disinfectant entering his nose. "Hinata, Hinata, ah! What's going on? (°д°)" Naruto was about to jump off the hospital bed when he felt intense pain all over his body. Calming down, he looked at his body. It was no longer human but rather resembled a mummy. His entire body was wrapped in white bandages except for his eyes, nose, and mouth.

"Naruto-kun, thank goodness you're awake. You've been asleep for three days." Hinata, who had been by Naruto's side all along, quickly grabbed his hand, tears of joy streaming down her face. Her tears fell onto Naruto's hand, and even through the bandages, he could feel their warmth.

"You're okay. That's good, but what about Neji...?" Naruto breathed a sigh of relief, but then he remembered that fateful night when Neji died before his eyes.

"Naruto-kun, let me explain..."

"I'm sorry I couldn't save Neji. He died, and it's all my fault!!!"

"Enough with the noise! I'm not dead!" The patient in the next bed couldn't tolerate the commotion anymore. He pulled back the curtain and threw an apple at Naruto, hitting him on the head.

"Huh? Huh? Did you come back to life? (°д°)"

"Is the only option in your brain that I died? Who told you that being pierced by a kunai necessarily means death?" Neji glared at Naruto, annoyed. Luckily, he only suffered serious lung injuries and excessive blood loss, but with the efforts of the medical ninja, he would soon recover. In terms of injuries, Naruto, with his burns all over his body, was in a much worse condition.

"But, still..." Naruto opened his mouth, but he couldn't articulate his thoughts. At that time, when he saw Neji die, he became enraged. The thought of Hinata being kidnapped made him even angrier, and then... he couldn't remember anything.

"So, you went berserk?"

"Yeah, I don't know exactly. All I know is that when Neji died, I got really angry. And when I thought about you being taken away, I got even angrier. And then... I can't remember." Ignoring Neji's "I'm not dead," Naruto patted his head, troubled by the vague memories.

"In other words, you went crazy?"

"Yeah, no matter what, I have to protect Hinata. I promised Auntie Hiromi, and Neji was just extra." Naruto firmly held Hinata's hand and spoke seriously. The emotions emanating from his deep blue eyes were sincere and devoid of any joking. Hinata blushed and could only nod in response.

"Oh my, what a likable son-in-law." Just as Naruto spoke, Hinata's mother, Hyuga Hiromi, walked into the room hand in hand with her husband, Hyuga Hiashi. She happily commented.

"Hiromi-san, you're back."

"Yeah, go on and speak." In a gentle response to Naruto's words, Hiromi gave her husband a slight push, placing him in front of Naruto. "Naruto, thank you for protecting Hinata. The consequences would have been unimaginable without you. I acknowledge you." Hyuga Hiashi, who usually carried a stern expression, felt a bit uncomfortable saying these words. It was not because of Naruto but rather the feeling of having to give his daughter away.

"Acknowledge... Does that mean what I think it means, Father?" Naruto slowly understood what Hyuga Hiashi meant and exclaimed in surprise.

"Hold on, I only added you as a supplementary member of the Hyuga family."

"Huh, why like that?"

"But before that, you must fulfill three requirements."

"What are they? I'll do it."

"First, become a Genin. Second, become a Chunin. Third, become a Jonin." Hyuga Hiashi's requirements were quite demanding. Excluding ANBU members, even among the elite ninjas of Konoha, there were less than fifty Jonin. After the Nine-Tails incident, Konoha was in a weakened state, and becoming a Jonin required not only strength but also knowledge, judgment, and many other important qualities. But he believed Naruto could do it.

At the age of only five, Naruto defeated a Jonin from the Land of Lightning who had infiltrated Konoha on his own. What an achievement! However, this achievement would never be made public because Naruto only borrowed the power of the Nine-Tails. Thus, this credit was sent to the Hyuga clan by the Third Hokage. As for what the unconscious Jonin from the Land of Lightning would be used for in the future, no one knew. Invading another country's territory and kidnapping people would likely cost the Land of Lightning a great deal to settle.

"It's quite simple, super simple, because I'm going to be the man who becomes the Hokage. Just wait to become my father, Hinata's dad." Naruto didn't even need time to think. With a confident voice that echoed throughout the room, he gave his answer.

"It's good for a young man to be ambitious." Looking at Naruto, who only revealed his hair, the sunlight shining on his golden locks made him resemble the Fourth Hokage. Unfortunately, that person had sacrificed himself to protect Konoha.

"Hinata, this is great." Hiromi hugged Hinata and rubbed her face against hers. She could sense that her daughter was becoming more and more concerned about Naruto.

"What are you saying? Mother, I'm not happy at all." Hinata pouted and threw herself into her mother's arms, pretending to be unhappy while her face turned red with embarrassment.

...

"Ah, are you all leaving?" Naruto, with teary eyes, clutched onto Hinata. Today, Neji was going to be discharged from the hospital, and Hinata wouldn't be able to be with him every day anymore. It dealt a heavy blow to his young heart.

"I could have been discharged earlier. I just stayed for your comfort. Goodbye, mummy."

"You, just wait until I'm better. I'll beat you up for sure!"

"Naruto-kun, I'll come to visit you tomorrow. Take good care and recover well." Though Hinata was also a bit reluctant, it wasn't to the point of wanting to stick together all the time. They weren't a couple in love, just two young kids who hadn't yet experienced love.

"Then goodbye..." Naruto let go of Hinata. He simply didn't want to stay alone in the hospital anymore; the smell of disinfectant was quite terrifying.

"So boring!" Naruto, who had wasted the entire afternoon, was going crazy. He had gotten so bored that he counted the patterns on the ceiling over and over again. Just as he was about to decide to sneak out of the hospital, the door suddenly swung open, and his two most familiar people walked in. "Sasuke, Itachi, why are you here?"

"We heard you were injured, so we came to check on you. Looks like it's pretty serious." Itachi showed a gentle smile and placed the rice ball he was holding next to Naruto, carefully lifting the upper part of the bed.

"Yeah, they said it was a chakra burn or something. I don't really understand, but I've gotten much better already."

"You look like a mummy."

"I hate it when people call me a mummy!"

"What difference does it make if I say it?" Naruto and Sasuke, like sworn enemies, always ended up arguing every time they met. After the argument, they would continue playing as if nothing happened. It was their unique way of interaction.

"Sasuke may say that, but it took me a lot of effort to bring him here. I'm not that free, you know."

"Big brother!"

"Oh, worried about me? It's okay, Sasuke. I won't die before you do."

"Are you cursing me to die early?" Sasuke felt unhappy hearing that, as if he was going to die early. Itachi also looked at Naruto with a questioning gaze. Naruto wasn't the kind of person who would say something hurtful like that.

"Because we are the best of friends. Best friends don't leave each other alone before one of them dies." Naruto said with a silly smile, and his smile washed away all the dissatisfaction in Sasuke's heart, like a gentle spring breeze.

"...You, hmph!"

"Hahaha, Naruto, you truly live up to your reputation. I'm happy that Sasuke has a friend like you." Itachi was also infected by Naruto's smile, and the heart that had been immersed in missions and killings warmed up a little.

"Want to play a game of Ghost Cards?"

"Brother, no cheating with the Sharingan."

"That's really troublesome." The three of them played like children should until 8 o'clock in the evening when Itachi suggested that they should go home.

"Are you leaving? Let's play a little longer."

"Brother, just a little longer." Faced with the pleading of the two, who were like small animals, Itachi was on the verge of agreeing. Luckily, he realized it in time and lightly tapped their foreheads.

"Forgive me, Sasuke, Naruto. I still have a mission tonight." Itachi left, swiftly carrying the dissatisfied Sasuke, confirming that he indeed had a mission.

Naruto returned to his bored state and simply closed his eyes to sleep. Tick-tock, tick-tock. The sound of water droplets falling remained pleasing in this sealed space. Naruto walked on the surface of the water, which reached his knees, and approached the Nine-Tails and Minato.

"What's wrong, Naruto?" Minato sensed something different; there had been a change in Naruto.

"Dad, I want to become stronger." Naruto raised his head, and in his azure eyes, there was a hint of sharpness and determination, a departure from his usual innocence. This was also the first time he had entered the place where the Nine-Tails resided using his own power.

"Becoming stronger is a difficult path. Can you bear it?"

"Mm!" After experiencing so much, Naruto deeply felt his own powerlessness. If he could be a little stronger, Neji wouldn't have been so severely injured, and Hinata wouldn't have almost been abducted. To protect certain things, mere words were not enough!