116. The legendary Ichiraku Otsutsuki

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Naruto and Hinata bought flowers together to visit the hospital. Instead of going to see Sasuke directly.

They planned to visit the Third Hokage first. Naruto figured he should give Sasuke some time to rest.

"Nino-onisan, are you on duty today?" Nino was the medical-nin who had helped deliver Naruto alongside Biwako.

She had originally been part of Anbu but later transferred to work at the hospital. Naruto was quite familiar with her.

"It's Naruto! And is that your little girlfriend next to you?"

"Yeah, her name's Hinata," Naruto replied happily.

"Hello, Nino-san," Hinata greeted politely, though a bit shy.

"She's adorable," Nino complimented with a smile, glancing at the bouquet in Naruto's hand. "So, who are you visiting today?"

"The Third Hokage and Sasuke."

"Oh, you're here to visit the Third Hokage too?"

"Are there a lot of people coming to see him?"

"Of course! The Third Hokage was injured protecting the village, and he's far better than Danzo," Nino added, not missing the chance to criticize Danzo.

No, you've got it backwards. Half the village was attacked because of him, Naruto thought but kept the complaint to himself. "So, which ward is the Third Hokage in now?"

"The Third Hokage is in room 3601," Nino said after checking the records. "Sasuke is in 3602, right next door."

Naruto and Hinata headed upstairs. A hospital wasn't exactly the best place for romance.

"Grandpa, Grandma Biwako, and Konohamaru are here too!" Naruto greeted them warmly as they entered the room. There were many flowers, showing just how many people had come to visit.

"Third Hokage-sama, Lady Biwako," Hinata greeted respectfully, adhering to her strict Hyuga upbringing.

"It's Naruto and Hinata, come in!" Biwako said with a smile, taking the flowers from Naruto.

Konohamaru rushed over excitedly. "Big Brother Naruto! Sister Hinata!"

"Good boy." Naruto ruffled Konohamaru's hair. This kid doesn't even know how to properly greet his sister-in-law. Looking at the elderly man in the hospital bed, Naruto asked, "Is Grandpa feeling better?"

"Hahaha, much better. But not being able to smoke is killing me," Hiruzen joked, glancing at Biwako as if silently pleading.

Biwako rolled her eyes. "You still want to smoke while you're recovering? Asuma picked up the habit from you, and now you want to do the same with Naruto and Konohamaru?"

The Third Hokage sighed. "Fine, fine. I'll wait until I'm discharged."

"You're not getting discharged anytime soon! I threw away your pipe. Tsunade specifically told me you're not allowed to smoke anymore!"

Hiruzen groaned, looking as if his dreams had been crushed, but he quickly brightened. "Speaking of which, Naruto, you did exceptionally well this time."

"Me?" Naruto asked, surprised. "What did I do?"

"You used your shadow clones and Flying Thunder God Jutsu to evacuate the audience before the battle started. Thanks to you, no one was seriously injured."

"No one seriously injured? Does that mean someone got hurt a little?" Naruto asked, puzzled.

The Third Hokage laughed heartily. "Yes, someone sprained their ankle coming out of the shelter, hahaha. Otherwise, it would've been zero injuries."

Biwako chimed in, "Because Konoha was able to protect everyone so efficiently, the officials from other Villages now have a very high opinion of us. You deserve a lot of the credit."

"Ah... I didn't expect that," Naruto admitted, scratching his head.

Hinata looked at Naruto admiringly. "Naruto-kun, you're amazing."

After chatting for a while, Naruto and Hinata decided to leave so the Third Hokage could rest.

Before heading out, Naruto gave Konohamaru a little reminder: "Your grandpa isn't in good health, so don't play any pranks on him."

The Third Hokage stroked his beard, feeling proud of Naruto's maturity until Naruto added, "Wait until he's fully recovered."

Konohamaru nodded enthusiastically. "Okay, Big Brother Naruto!"

"Hi~" The Third Hokage waved in exasperation, two of his beard hairs snapping off.

…

Naruto then opened the door to the next room, where Sasuke was resting, propped up on the bed while Sakura peeled apples beside him.

"Yo, Sasuke. Hey, Sakura," Naruto greeted casually.

Hinata followed Naruto in. "Excuse us."

"Why are you here?" Sakura asked, looking a little flustered.

"Came to check on my little brother," Naruto teased.

Sasuke frowned. "I'm older than you."

Naruto waved his hand dismissively. "Details, details. How's your injury?"

"I'll be discharged tomorrow. I'll make it to the memorial ceremony," Sasuke said, his tone heavy, thinking of the Uchiha members who had died.

Naruto didn't like the sombre mood, so he changed the topic. "Is Sakura the only one here to take care of you?"

Sakura put down the knife. "Sasuke's mother was here earlier, but she went home to prepare lunch. She asked me to stay with him."

Naruto's eyes lit up with mischief. "Oh, I see. Just like my mom's friend, huh? Setting things up."

Sasuke remained unaffected by Naruto's teasing, but Sakura shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. "What are you implying?"

"Nothing at all," Naruto said, patting Sakura on the shoulder. "Sakura, good luck."

Sakura paused. Could Sasuke's mother have created this opportunity on purpose?

But looking at Sasuke, who seemed completely oblivious, she sighed. It wouldn't matter if the person involved wasn't aware of it.

After a bit more conversation, Naruto and Hinata left the room, deciding to get lunch at Ichiraku Ramen.

At the ramen shop, everything was as it should be, with Teuchi still running the place.

Naruto ordered his usual but discreetly tried to observe Teuchi, wondering if the legendary Ichiraku Otsutsuki was hiding beneath this ordinary appearance.

Even when Naruto activated his sensory abilities, Teuchi still seemed like a regular person.

Hinata noticed Naruto staring and asked, "What's wrong, Naruto-kun?"

"Oh, nothing. My dad loved this ramen. You should try it."

Hinata nodded. "Okay," understanding that Naruto wanted her to enjoy the meal.

Though Hinata didn't eat much, Teuchi announced that he'd be closing the shop for a few hours in the afternoon to prepare some special side dishes.

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