The Long Summer

Naruto didn't expect this outcome. He stared at Sasuke's uneven face for a while, stunned.

"Hahahahahaha!!!"

"Idiot." Sasuke shot him a cold glance.

"Hahahahaha!!!" Naruto pointed at Sasuke's face with one hand, laughing so hard on the hospital bed that he started to tear up.

Sasuke didn't respond to Naruto. He turned his head with a blank expression and looked out the window.

His pale skin, dark hair and eyebrows, and eyes fit eerily well with the dim, sterile atmosphere of the hospital. There was a touch of coldness in Uchiha Sasuke's calm gaze.

"Was he coming after you?" Sasuke's voice had no emotional fluctuation.

This "he" naturally referred to Uchiha Itachi.

"Kind of." Naruto collapsed onto the hospital bed with a thud, staring at the ceiling in a daze. "It must be for the Nine-Tails, capturing the Jinchuriki or something."

He remembered Ino, vaguely seeing Kakashi's figure before he collapsed. Kakashi was still as reliable as ever, and with him coming to the rescue, Ino should be fine.

The strength of Kisame Hoshigaki and Itachi Uchiha was too much. Someone like him with little combat experience couldn't take on both at the same time.

The Nine-Tails' power wasn't fully unlocked yet, the Flying Thunder God was only at an entry level, and Lava Release wasn't enough to deal with Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki, who had ample combat experience.

People like Itachi and Kisame, who had survived countless killings, were definitely not the type to simply rely on skill. As soon as Kisame made a move, he aimed directly at Ino.

If Naruto hadn't forced open the seal and let the Nine-Tails fight, Ino might have been a corpse by now.

The enemy is not scary; what's scary is that the enemy has brains.

Fortunately, Sasuke drew some of Itachi's fire, allowing Naruto to survive the most dangerous part of the battle without much harm.

"Sasuke, thank you."

"Thank me for what?" Sasuke glanced at him coldly.

"Thank you for taking the beating."

Sasuke really wanted to punch Naruto, if only his hand could move.

"It looks like you two have mostly recovered."

The door creaked open, and Kakashi and Sakura walked in. Sakura placed the fruit basket she was holding on the table in the corner of the room, then cut some apple slices and walked over to feed both of them.

Naruto was originally lying in bed, but his injuries had fully healed.

Seeing Sakura feeding them, he decided to play dead.

"Ah."

"Idiot." Sasuke glanced at Naruto but wasn't interested in exposing him.

"Sasuke." Sakura handed a slice of apple to Sasuke.

"No need."

"If he doesn't want it, I'll take it," Naruto said.

Sasuke bit into the apple slice and shot a sideways glance at Naruto.

Sakura smiled, her eyes turning into crescent shapes. She sat in the middle, cutting the apple into slices and feeding them to Naruto and Sasuke.

Her white, smooth legs were neatly gathered on the chair, sitting upright, her chest slightly raised.

Kakashi leaned against the window, holding a copy of Intimate Paradise, his gaze flowing over the pages. Occasionally, he would glance at the three in the room, a smile in his eyes.

At that moment, the summer felt longer than ever. The cicadas were noisy, the sunlight bright, and the plants were growing wildly.

The entire Team 7 was gathered in a hospital room, relaxing and enjoying the happiness of having survived.

Sakura was gentler than ever, Sasuke didn't refuse the apple, and Naruto was still his usual silly self.

Kakashi flipped through his new Intimate Paradise, but not a single word sank in.

The wind rustled through the treetops.

...

Naruto's injuries weren't severe, and he was discharged that same day.

Kakashi told everyone that Team 7 wouldn't be taking any missions for a while. Jinchuriki and Uchiha descendants were rare, and the higher-ups had yet to make a decision.

"Naruto, here you go."

In the hallway, Sakura handed Naruto his clothes back. There was a neat circle of stitches on it, so small it could easily be missed.

"Thanks." Naruto took the clothes and stared at the stitches.

"I noticed it was torn, so I just sewed it up a bit." Sakura blushed, "I just learned recently, so..."

"It's good."

"Is Ino still in the hospital?" Naruto asked.

"She woke up earlier than you guys, and she was discharged yesterday." Sakura said seriously, then patted Naruto's shoulder, asking with some suspicion, "How did Ino get hurt?"

"She was on her way to the Inuzuka clan's headquarters when a heavy rain hit. She stopped by my house to take shelter, and that's when she got involved." Naruto's shadow was stretched out by the sunlight in the hallway.

"You don't need to worry, she's fine. She just fainted at the time," Sakura said, holding a medical clipboard in her arms, wearing the medical team's arm band.

"But after she woke up yesterday, she seemed pretty anxious about you. You two... when did your relationship get so close?"

"Huh?" Naruto blinked.

Yeah, when did it start? During the training with Kai, or was it that time at Hokage Rock?

"Remember to visit Ino, you dummy Naruto." Sakura lightly tapped Naruto on the head with the clipboard before walking away with her long legs.

After returning home.

Naruto looked at the broken glass scattered all over the living room. The curtains were wet and hanging on the balcony, and the balcony railing was twisted and deformed. He froze for a moment, forgetting about it.

The living room was a mess, and the balcony door was wide open, causing the living room floor to be soaked.

The whole house smelled musty and damp.

"Forget it, I'll move to a new place," Naruto sighed, dragging himself into the room to pack his things.

Discharged in the morning, moved in the afternoon.

He found a better place than his old apartment and moved in right away.

The higher-ups had yet to make a decision on Naruto's situation, but it was clear that they would wait until the next Hokage was in office before making any declarations.

The two advisors and Danzo never agreed on anything. When it came to important matters like the Jinchuriki's safety, a new voice was needed to break the balance.

After quickly packing, when the sky grew darker, Naruto went out and bought a gift.

The streets of Konoha were bustling with activity, lights mixed with shadow, stretching down the main street that ran through the whole village, shining from seventy years ago to the present.

The Yamanaka flower shop was a bit far from Naruto's new place, and after walking for a while, he finally stood under the large green tree.

Looking ahead, the Yamanaka flower shop was brightly lit.

Ino was standing at the counter, chatting and laughing with a regular female customer. The light from the shop illuminated her face, and she smiled warmly.

It wasn't until the female customer noticed the gaze from outside that she paused and pointed out the window. Ino turned and saw Naruto standing under the big green tree, and she froze for a moment.

Naruto saw Ino waving at him through the window, her smile bright.

He waved back, holding up the gift to signal.

Inside the shop, Ino explained something to the female customer, then blushed as the woman playfully teased her, quickly running out of the store.

"You came?"

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