Naruto, my father's name is Uchiha Madara.

Page 66

Naruto leaned closer, looking bewildered. Because of his hearing impairment, he couldn't catch the emotions in Sasuke's tone at all; he only saw his lips moving.

"Can't you hear me? Speak louder, Sasuke! Are you praising me for driving away the enemy?"

Seeing Naruto's silly, slightly boastful expression, Sasuke's pent-up anger instantly dissipated.

It was like punching cotton; the feeling of powerlessness washed over him again.

He pursed his lips and stopped speaking, only looking at the fool in front of him with a complicated expression. The man's head was wrapped like a mummy, his hearing was temporarily lost, but he was still trying to radiate light and heat.

Just then, the sound of light footsteps and rustling leaves came from outside the tree hole.

Sakura carefully crawled in, carrying a bunch of wild fruits wrapped in large leaves.

Her hair was a little messy, and her face showed the weariness of searching.

But when she saw Sasuke sitting inside the tree hollow, her emerald green eyes instantly lit up, as if all the gloom had been dispelled.

"Sasuke-kun! You're really awake!"

Sakura's voice trembled with joy. She almost staggered as she took two quick steps and put the wild fruit in her arms on the ground.

Then, she could no longer contain the fear, worry, stress, and immense relief that had been building up over the past few days.

Tears flowed like a burst dam, gushing out and rolling down her muddy cheeks.

"That's great... Waaah... That's really great..."

She sobbed uncontrollably, her shoulders trembling violently: "You were unconscious for three days... I was so scared... scared that you would never wake up again... Naruto was so badly injured too... I'm all alone... I really don't know what to do..."

All the strength and pretense they had maintained these past few days completely crumbled at this moment.

She squatted down in front of Sasuke, like a child who had suffered a great injustice, and cried uncontrollably.

Chapter 75 The Unspoken Gratitude

As Sasuke watched Sakura cry and listened to her intermittently recount the torment she had endured over the past three days, the complex emotions in his heart surged even more intensely.

During the three days he was unconscious, Sakura took care of the seriously injured Naruto all by herself, guarding him while he remained unconscious, and also keeping an eye out for any enemies that might appear at any time.

Her exhaustion, her fear, her strength, and her current breakdown all struck him like heavy hammers.

For the first time, he realized with such clarity the danger and suffering his reckless actions had dragged into his companions.

He opened his mouth, but the words "Don't cry, I'm fine" that were almost out of his mouth got stuck in his throat, sounding so pale and powerless.

In the end, he simply reached out and, somewhat stiffly, gently patted Sakura's shoulder, which was trembling from crying.

This simple action has already brought about a huge change for him.

Naruto sat quietly to the side. Although he couldn't hear what Sakura was saying, her suppressed sobs and Sasuke's clumsy attempts to comfort her said it all.

The previous feigned ease vanished from his exposed blue eyes, replaced by a deep sense of heartache and warmth.

He didn't speak, but just watched them quietly, as if guarding the fragility and reality of this moment.

Sakura cried for a long time, as if she wanted to cry out all her fears and stress.

The crying gradually subsided, turning into intermittent sobs.

She lifted her tear-filled face, looked at Sasuke's hand on her shoulder, and then at Naruto beside her, who was silent but with concerned eyes. A warm feeling welled up in her heart, washing away her sorrow.

She hastily wiped her face with her sleeve, took a deep breath, and tried to calm herself down.

"I'm...I'm sorry, I lost my composure."

Sakura's voice still had a heavy nasal tone, but her eyes had regained their firmness: "Sasuke-kun, how are you feeling now? Is there anything that hurts a lot?"

Sasuke withdrew his hand succinctly, his gaze sweeping over Naruto: "What... exactly happened to him? And who was the attacker?"

Sakura followed Sasuke's gaze to Naruto, her eyes filled with lingering fear and gratitude.

She gathered her thoughts and began to recount everything that happened after Sasuke fell into a coma.

"It's the Sound Ninja trio. Zaku, Tosu, and a female ninja named Kin."

Sakura's voice lowered: "They are Orochimaru's men, and their goal is to take you away. They found this place yesterday afternoon."

Sakura's account was not very detailed; she deliberately omitted many bloody and cruel details.

For example, when Naruto's eardrum ruptured, she was horrified to see blood gushing from his ear.

For example, Naruto's miserable state, covered in wounds from being cut by wind blades.

For example, the visual impact of Naruto's almost insane counterattack at the end...

The scene depicts Zaku's hands being broken, and Dos being severely injured at close range with a Rasengan, tearing his arm apart.

The memory still sends chills down her spine.

She only emphasized that Naruto fought against the three of them alone to protect them, and in extremely unfavorable circumstances, he defeated the enemy with amazing willpower and explosive power.

"Naruto... fought very... very hard to protect us."

Sakura's voice choked with emotion, and her gaze toward Naruto was filled with heartache and admiration: "His ear was injured when he was dodging Tosu's sonic attack... and he has many other wounds on his body."

"However, his recovery ability is indeed very strong. Many of his external injuries have already begun to scab over. The most troublesome one is his ear injury, which will take time to recover his hearing."

Sasuke listened silently, his gaze falling on Naruto once more.

The head wrapped in bandages, and the wounds hidden beneath them, no longer appeared comical to him.

Instead, it stands as a silent monument, etched with the tragic price paid to protect him and his companions.

He could imagine how difficult the battle would be; the three Sound Ninja, each possessing special ninjutsu, were no easy opponents.

How did Naruto, who was considered a bottom-of-the-class student, unleash such power under such dire circumstances?

Was it to protect Sakura? Or was it to protect... him?

"They left this behind."

Sakura took out a scroll from her ninja tool bag; it was the "Heavenly Scroll" left behind by the Sound Ninja: "Naruto scared them so much that they left the scroll behind to escape in order to save their lives."

Sasuke looked at the scroll, then at Naruto.

Naruto seemed to realize they were talking about him. Although he couldn't hear clearly, he still gave Sakura a "I'm pretty awesome, right?" look when she took out the scroll.

This familiar, slightly silly gesture filled Sasuke with mixed feelings.

He looked away and gazed at the darkening sky outside the cave.

"What...do we do next?"

Sasuke's voice regained its usual calmness, but upon closer listening, it seemed to have lost some of its former arrogance.

"Both you and Naruto need to rest."

Sakura immediately said, her tone leaving no room for doubt: "Especially Sasuke, your body is severely overdrawn. Although that black mark has calmed down for the time being, you absolutely cannot force yourself to use chakra again."

"Naruto's hearing also needs time to recover, so the earliest we can act is tomorrow."

Although it's a bit of a stretch, tomorrow is the last day of the second exam, and they've already collected both scrolls, so they've met the requirements to pass.

Moreover, given his current condition, he would have difficulty even walking, let alone fighting.

Although Naruto appears to be in relatively good spirits, his severe head injury and hearing loss have significantly reduced his fighting ability.

Forcing your way through will only become a burden and may even attract the enemy again.

"I...I'm going to get some water."

Sasuke struggled to stand up; he needed some space to process everything.

"No!" Sakura immediately stopped her.

Sakura pressed down on his shoulder: "Sasuke-kun, you absolutely mustn't move around right now! Get some rest!"

Naruto moved over and blocked the cave entrance. Although he didn't say anything, his eyes clearly said, "Don't even think about getting out."

Sasuke looked at the tense expressions on the two people's faces, especially Naruto, who was wrapped in bandages but still stubbornly blocking the entrance to the cave.

The awkward feeling in his heart surged again, and he finally gave up and leaned back against the cave wall.

Sakura picked up a washed wild fruit, carefully peeled off a little skin, and held it to Sasuke's mouth: "Sasuke-kun, eat something to replenish your energy. Naruto, you eat too."

She picked up another one and handed it to Naruto.

Naruto took the fruit, awkwardly held it with his bandaged hand, brought it to the only exposed part of his mouth, and began to nibble on it in small bites.

Sasuke looked at the fruit Sakura offered to his mouth, then glanced at Naruto, who was munching on a fruit like a hamster.

The cave was quiet, with only the faint sounds of chewing and the occasional chirping of insects from outside.

After days of tension, the nerves finally began to relax in the brief peace brought about by the injuries and protection of their companions.

A feeling he had never experienced before weighed heavily on his heart. It wasn't just simple gratitude; it was more like a heavy sense of responsibility and... a feeling of being bound by a bond.

He silently took a bite of the fruit that Sakura handed him, and the sweet and sour juice spread in his mouth.

Sasuke's gaze swept over Naruto's comical yet glaringly bandaged head again, and his lips moved silently.

A very faint syllable, almost imperceptible to him, rolled across the tip of his tongue and eventually disappeared deep in his throat.

It was like an unspoken "thank you".

Chapter 76 is complete, the final stage.

Deep within the Death Forest, the tree hollow that had borne so much weariness and pain finally welcomed a long-awaited atmosphere of relaxation.

"Waaaaah—! I heard it! I heard it! Sakura! Sasuke! I heard it!!!"

A deafening cheer nearly lifted the roof off the tree hole.

Naruto sprang up from the ground like a fully wound-up toy.

He frantically pulled at the bandages that had been wrapped around his head for days.

The movement was so large that the wind it generated almost overturned Sakura's neatly packed ninja tool bag.

"Idiot Naruto! Be careful! Your wound has just healed!"

Sakura was so frightened that her face turned pale, and she quickly reached out to press down on the overly excited guy.

But how could Naruto possibly hold him back?