Naruto: Naruto's Uchiha girlfriend is too tsundere

"...Did...something... happen...?"

Broken, choked, and extremely painful syllables unconsciously spilled from between her lips.

All that kept flashing through my mind was the resolute and cold look in the eyes of that black-haired woman when she raised the butcher's knife.

Her sister, whom she once admired and trusted the most, destroyed everything she had.

Anxiety fuels an even stronger craving for a tangible, comforting touch.

However, as her fingers unconsciously tightened, what she felt in her palm was the cold, rough texture of the fabric at the corner of the blanket.

This cold feeling brought her no comfort; instead, a deeper sorrow and despair blew into her chest.

Zuo Yue once again stood frozen on the edge of reason and utter madness. The dark desire within her chest to destroy everything and burn herself to ashes rose wildly, almost breaching the last dam.

That name, carrying all the hatred and pain—Uchiha Itachi—almost burst forth from his teeth, transforming into a ripping scream...

At that very moment, a very faint, yet extremely unnatural, sound came from the side.

Is that...the sound of breathing?

It wasn't her own rapid and painful breathing, but another kind of... steady breathing, with a slight snoring sound.

This sudden sense of presence belonging to the "other" seemed to pull her back a little from the edge of that self-destructive vortex.

Satsuki slowly turned her head, her eyes blurred with tears, and looked at the other side of the hospital bed.

In an instant, the pain and hatred that had almost devoured her began to recede and fade away like an unbelievable tide.

She didn't even realize what she had done; she simply called out another name in an incredibly weak voice, with unbelievable hope.

"Naruto...?"

The blond boy sitting in the chair beside the hospital bed was indeed Naruto Uzumaki. At this moment, he was in a very awkward position with his head tilted to the side, fast asleep, emitting very faint snores.

After Naruto took the unconscious Satsuki to Konoha Hospital and settled her in last night, he simply couldn't be in the mood to go home and rest alone.

So he chose to stay here and wait for Zuoyue to wake up.

When Menma's shadow clones finally completed their mission and disbanded, the immense fatigue accumulated over the entire night and the heavy burden of controlling the tailed beast's chakra instantly backfired.

Exhausted, Naruto finally succumbed to sleepiness and leaned back in his chair, falling into a deep sleep.

Satsuki walked barefoot and silently off the hospital bed, all her senses occupied by the blond figure sleeping soundly before her.

She was inches from his face. That usually noisy face was now unusually quiet, even carrying a hint of weariness from a tightness in her chest.

As if possessed, she reached out and pinched Naruto's warm cheek.

it is true……

It wasn't a dream, nor was it that chilling illusion that shattered her spirits.

It's alive, it's warm...

The raw, vibrant energy of life instantly melted the heartstrings that had been stretched to their limit.

A suppressed gasp, choked with sobs, escaped her throat. She immediately bit her lower lip hard, trying to use the pain to hold back the overwhelming emotions.

However, after experiencing the immense shock of going from the depths of despair to regaining what was lost, crying is no longer an instinct that can be controlled by willpower.

The first scalding tear fell without warning, followed by the second, the third... like a flood that had breached a dam, impossible to contain.

She didn't even realize what she was doing; she was just following her instincts and reaching out her arm.

The pent-up fear, despair, and immense relief, suppressed for so long, burst into a torrent of sobs.

In his hazy sleep, Naruto vaguely felt a familiar weight with a faint fragrance pressing down on him, followed by a fragile sob he had never heard before, which was being suppressed but was still broken.

This unprecedented situation jolted him awake from his deep sleep almost instantly.

He opened his eyes abruptly, still dazed from just waking up, but his body had already sensed something was wrong. He instinctively looked down and saw a black head buried against his chest, trembling incessantly.

"...Sasuki?"

His voice was still hoarse from just waking up, but it was full of astonishment and disbelief.

Before him was no longer the proud Uchiha genius. She had completely abandoned all pride, revealing her most vulnerable inner self without reservation.

He was trembling with sobs, his tears flowing to express all his fear and sorrow. The suppressed sobs were something he had never imagined he would hear from her.

At this moment, Naruto fully regained consciousness.

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(One update this morning, three updates this afternoon)

Chapter 105 Fragility

【Ding! 】

[Congratulations, host! You have established a Level 2 bond with the original character "Uchiha Shisui"!]

[Reward points earned: 500 points!]

【Ding! 】

[Congratulations, host! You have established a bond level of 10 with the original character "Uchiha Sasuke"! (The relationship has undergone a fundamental change! You must reach adulthood to unlock and view this information.)]

[Reward points earned: 1500 points!]

This was a series of notifications that rang last night, especially the huge gain of 1500 points and the meaningful note "qualitative change in relationship". However, the huge gain of points did not bring joy. Instead, it made Naruto, who was guarding the hospital bed at this moment, feel uneasy, guilty and ashamed.

Let's rewind a bit and go back to late last night.

When Menma and Shisui, carrying the completely unconscious Uchiha Itachi, returned to the underground base of the [Jin] organization located in the Land of Hot Springs using the Flying Thunder God Technique, the situation was chaotic.

Some of the Uchiha clan members who had been transferred here earlier have begun to wake up. They find themselves in a completely unfamiliar underground facility, surrounded by equally bewildered clansmen, their memories still stuck on the moment when their houses were attacked and they were knocked unconscious by the masked man.

This blatant act of "kidnapping" was enough to plunge any ordinary person into extreme panic. Whispers and frantic questioning filled the air, creating an atmosphere of extreme tension.

As soon as Menma and Shisui appeared, they immediately attracted all the surprised and uncertain gazes.

Without any delay, Menma and Shisui locked Itachi, who had lost his sight and power, in a special confinement room.

He then immediately faced the restless crowd. He removed his fox mask, revealing a face familiar to many of his clansmen—Uchiha Shisui.

Next... everyone! Please be quiet! Listen to me! I am Uchiha Shisui! Don't panic! We weren't kidnapped, but... we were rescued from a plot to exterminate the Uchiha... or something like that.

Shisui explained the current situation, Shimura Danzo's conspiracy, and the protection offered by the [Jin] organization to the shocked clansmen in the simplest way.

All these complex tasks of appeasement, explanation, and stability maintenance were left to Zhishui and Richa by Mianma.

After doing all this, the [Mianma] shadow clone, which had been running around all night and was extremely exhausted, could no longer maintain itself. With a "bang," it turned into a wisp of white smoke and disappeared without a trace.

All the memories, exhaustion, and gains it carried instantly returned to the consciousness of its original self—Naruto Uzumaki—far away in Konoha Hospital.

Time returns to the present.

Looking into Sasuke's eyes, which still held traces of fear and sorrow, Naruto prepared himself. He planned to spend enough time explaining to her in detail why his penetrating wounds had healed, and even intended to reveal the existence of Kurama within him.

He organized his thoughts, waiting for the inevitable questions Zuo Yue would ask about his injuries.

but……

Zuo Yue's reaction completely surprised him. She didn't rush to ask about his injuries, but just looked at him with her misty, unfocused eyes, her voice light and airy.

"Naruto...is this...a dream? Or...was everything that happened last night...just a terrible nightmare?"

Naruto shook his head. "...It's not a dream. What happened last night, and what's happening now...it's not a dream."

Hearing this answer, Zuo Yue's voice trembled even more deeply. "Then why... I clearly saw... at that time... you bled so much... clearly..."

Her gaze fell on the spot next to Naruto's heart, where there was only tearing in his clothes, but no trace of injury.

Naruto tried to explain in as lighthearted a tone as possible. "Well... it might be a bit complicated. It's kind of a special ability that I have... naturally possessed?"

"After being injured, he recovers much faster than the average person..." He carefully laid the groundwork, preparing to smoothly introduce the existence of Nine-Tailed Fox.

He waited for Zuo Yue to ask him, as usual, with curiosity or dissatisfaction, "What exactly is your ability?" "Explain yourself!" and so on.

However, once again, Satsuki's reaction caught him off guard.

She didn't ask.

She simply lowered her head slightly, her black hair falling down and obscuring her expression. Several seconds later, she was heard murmuring softly over and over again.

"That's it..."

"So this is ah……"

She did not delve into what that "special ability" actually was, nor did she question whether the explanation was reasonable.

Once the only important fact—that "Naruto is really alright" and "Naruto is still safe and sound by my side"—was confirmed, everything else became irrelevant.

Then, she reached out and gently took Naruto's hand in hers. She didn't say anything more, just leaned there silently, letting her tears fall without a sound.

Those tears were no longer a hysterical breakdown, but a complex release of relief after surviving a catastrophe, mixed with endless sorrow and a faint sense of peace.

Seeing her like this, Naruto found all the words of explanation he had prepared stuck in his throat. In the end, he chose to stay silently by her side.

In this atmosphere filled with sorrow and silence, there was a gentle knock on the ward door. A medical ninja entered.

"excuse me."

The medical ninja spoke as softly as possible, “We just received an urgent notification from the Hokage… regarding the situation of the Uchiha clan last night… it seems that a very small number of survivors were found in the clan compound, including two who appear to be directly related to you by blood.”

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"Although the vital signs of the two patients are currently stable, their internal organs have suffered extensive burns and damage. With the current level of medical ninjutsu, we are unable to perform effective repair surgery safely."

"I'm sorry... the chances of them waking up are extremely slim. Please prepare for the worst."

In another ward, the medical ninja explained the situation in a somber tone. His gaze fell on the two hospital beds placed side by side at the front of the ward, where the unconscious Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto lay quietly.

Their faces were as pale as paper, and they had life-sustaining IV drips and various monitoring cables inserted into their bodies.

This was precisely the result of Menma's earlier intervention—he merely used the combination of Gold Experience and Crazy Diamond to forcibly keep them alive and stop the most fatal injuries from worsening, but he did not provide a complete cure.

Zuoyue's face instantly lost all color, and the rollercoaster of emotions once again severely impacted her young mind.

The newly ignited joy at the fact that her parents were still alive was instantly shattered by the cruel diagnosis that "life is worse than death."

"...What...does this mean?" Satsuki's voice trembled so badly it was almost incoherent. She instinctively gripped Naruto's hand tightly, so hard that Naruto felt a slight pain.

The medical ninja looked at Satsuki with pity and helplessness. "It means... these two survivors will most likely remain in this comatose state indefinitely, perhaps... never waking up. Please... be prepared for a long-term mental journey."

In fact, this medical ninja knew that Konoha was not without people who could treat this level of injury—one of the legendary Sannin, Lady Tsunade, might have a solution.

But as a mere medical ninja, he was not qualified to make such a vague guarantee to the family, much less promise that he could persuade that person to come.

Zuo Yue seemed to have all her strength drained away. She slowly and somewhat unsteadily walked to the chair next to the hospital bed and sat down. Her petite body trembled like a withered leaf in the wind.

Seeing Satsuki's condition, Naruto felt a surge of complex emotions. He hadn't expected that Konoha's current medical standards wouldn't even be able to completely heal such an injury.

A hint of doubt and self-blame quietly emerged—had I made a mistake by not completely curing them back then?

But at this moment, he had to suppress these thoughts. He walked to Zuoyue's side and said in an extremely firm tone, "Zuoyue...it's alright. Uncle and Aunt will definitely recover, they will definitely wake up."

Satsuki looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears, "But... the doctor said..."

"No!" Naruto interrupted her, saying each word clearly, "They'll be alright! I promise you! Soon, they'll be home healthy and safe! They'll all be fine! I'm 100% sure!"

His tone was so certain.

The medical ninja watching Naruto "comfort" the family members thought it was just a stubborn refusal to accept reality and a wishful thinking. He sighed inwardly, shook his head helplessly, and silently left the ward, leaving the two children alone.

Chapter 106 Companionship and Commitment

Why are these people so gossipy...?

Finally, after escorting Sasuke to the vicinity of the entrance to the Uchiha clan's territory, Naruto secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Along the way, the undisguised pointing and whispering from all directions had been truly unpleasant.

Of course, this time, the focus of those gazes and discussions was not on him, the "fox demon," but rather on Zuo Yue, who was standing beside him with her head down.

However, this focus is not malicious, but rather a profound expression of pity.

"Look... isn't that the child? I heard that last night the entire Uchiha clan... was..."

"It's such a tragedy... to have experienced something like this at such a young age..."

"Shh! Keep your voice down! Don't let her hear! But I heard... it was her older sister, how could she do that..."

"I heard that because of this incident, that terrible organization was attracted here, and it almost caused another major disaster..."