Naruto, my father's name is Uchiha Madara.

Page 65

That gaze—why was it so terrifying when it came from someone who was only twelve years old?

"Monster...demon..."

Jin's voice trembled violently. She staggered back a step, her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the ground.

He curled up, trembling, his courage to run away completely crushed.

Despite the excruciating pain from his severed arm and the dizziness from blood loss, Tos trembled as he fumbled in his ninja tool pouch with his remaining left hand.

They then pulled out their "Scroll of Heaven".

With his last ounce of strength, he threw the scroll far, almost as if throwing it, towards Naruto.

The scroll landed in the mud not far from Naruto's feet.

"The scroll... I'll give it to you... let us go..."

Toth's voice was hoarse and weak, filled with unprecedented fear and pleading.

The single eye no longer held any trace of malice or arrogance, only the most humble plea for survival.

He dared not look at Naruto again, pressing his severed arm down tightly with his left hand.

Blood continued to seep from between his fingers. He struggled, using his last bit of strength to move his body backward with difficulty, trying to get away from this demon.

Sack stopped rolling around, curled up on the ground, groaning in pain, his broken arms lying helplessly outstretched, his eyes empty and desperate.

Jin scrambled to his feet, tears streaming down his face, and staggered toward Tos and Sack, wanting nothing more than to escape this hell on earth as quickly as possible.

Naruto remained standing there with his eyes closed, like a sculpture stained with blood.

He neither picked up the scroll at his feet nor stopped the enemy from fleeing in disarray.

Until those three chakra sources filled with pain, fear, and despair.

In his "mind's eye" perception, it hurriedly and stumbled away into the depths of the forest, disappearing completely from his sight—

His knees buckled, and he collapsed heavily to his knees on the cold, muddy, blood-stained ground.

His body trembled violently, as if all the bones had been removed.

Intense battles that pushed the body to its limits, blood loss, persistent ear pain, and mental exhaustion from overusing chakra perception...

All the exhaustion, pain, and lingering fear overwhelmed him like a burst dam.

He was breathing heavily, each breath carrying a strong smell of blood and a burning pain in his lungs.

Cold sweat poured down his forehead and temples like a waterfall, mixing with the still-dry blood of his enemy and himself, dripping onto the muddy ground beneath him.

Just then, hurried footsteps came from inside the tree hollow.

"Naruto—!" Sakura's tearful cry pierced the deathly silence.

She finally rushed out and immediately saw Naruto kneeling in a pool of blood, covered in blood and looking like a blood-soaked man, as well as the chaotic battlefield around him.

Broken trees, shattered ground, and glaring bloodstains splattered everywhere.

"Naruto! How are you?! You've lost so much blood!"

Sakura rushed to Naruto's side, her voice distorted with extreme fear and worry.

However, Naruto did not respond at all.

At this moment, Naruto could neither see nor hear anything, but he could sense a familiar chakra around him.

"Naruto, your ears..."

Sakura quickly noticed Naruto's ears and immediately used medical ninjutsu to provide emergency treatment.

At the same time, Kurama's chakra was slowly repairing Naruto's ears.

Soon, a cool and comfortable sensation temporarily suppressed the burning pain.

With Sakura's support, Naruto's violently trembling body finally calmed down a little.

He slowly and laboriously lifted his heavy eyelids.

My vision was still somewhat blurry, with a bloody double image.

He looked at Sakura's face, which was streaked with tears and filled with worry and fear.

"Sakura..."

Naruto's voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping, but he still managed a smile: "I did it... It's all over..."

Chapter 74 Sasuke's Awakening

The strong smell of herbs mixed with the scent of damp earth filled the narrow tree hollow.

Sasuke's eyelids felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead, and each attempt to open them was accompanied by a severe headache and a burning pain from the cursed seal on the back of his neck.

He was breathing heavily, and his blurry vision gradually focused.

Sasuke tried to speak, but his throat was so dry that he couldn't make a decent sound; he could only utter a muffled syllable.

He struggled to move his eyes, trying to figure out where he was and what had happened while he was unconscious.

Just then, an extremely bizarre figure entered his field of vision.

Near the entrance to the tree hole, a human-shaped "package" was sitting against the hole wall.

His entire head, from his forehead to his chin, and even the area covering his ears, was tightly wrapped in thick, white bandages stained with medicine.

Only two familiar, azure eyes were visible.

Those eyes were staring at him intently, filled with pure joy and an almost foolish smile.

"Sasuke, you're awake?"

The "package" opened, and the sound came out muffled through the bandages.

But his tone was the same lighthearted and carefree tone that Sasuke knew all too well: "Oh dear, you've been asleep for three days and three nights! I was thinking that if you didn't wake up today, Sakura and I would have to admit defeat and give up on the exam."

Sasuke was startled.

I slept for so long after that battle?

He struggled to sit up, but his body was too weak to exert any strength.

"I slept...for so long?"

Sasuke's voice was hoarse and low, carrying a sense of weakness from surviving a close call: "Orochimaru wasn't here?"

However, the guy wrapped up like a dumpling... or rather, Naruto, seemed not to hear his question.

He continued, still talking to himself and speaking a little faster: "Are you talking? Ah, sorry Sasuke, I had a little ear problem yesterday while chasing away those guys who didn't know what they were doing and causing trouble. I can't hear you very well."

He raised his bandaged hand and pointed to his ear, which was also wrapped up, the movement appearing somewhat clumsy and comical.

"But Sakura told me that my recovery ability is pretty good. She said I should be able to hear it again by tomorrow! Isn't that amazing?"

Looking at Naruto's head, with only his eyes showing, and listening to him casually describe that "I have a minor ear problem,"...

Considering the information in his words about "driving away the attackers," Sasuke felt as if an invisible hand was squeezing his heart tightly.

His last memory before falling into a coma was the boundless pain and darkness brought about by the eruption of the cursed seal, and Orochimaru's survival after being hit by Kirin.

When they woke up, they saw Naruto, who was so badly injured while protecting them.

This loser... even though he's so badly injured, with his whole head wrapped up, he's still laughing and joking around.

I was trying to ease the atmosphere in this clumsy way, not wanting him to feel oppressed or heavy.

Sasuke's gaze lingered on Naruto's exposed eyes.

There was no complaint or pain in it, only pure joy at his awakening.

A complex and indescribable emotion surged into Sasuke's heart, a mixture of guilt, self-blame, and a strange sense of irritation.

He abruptly turned his face away, not wanting Naruto to see the emotions that might be revealed in his eyes.

Naruto seemed completely oblivious to Sasuke's unusual behavior, or perhaps he deliberately ignored it; his voice still carried a deliberate energy.

"Sakura specifically instructed that your arm, the one used for Chidori, absolutely cannot use chakra again for the time being!"

"She said that your left hand was subjected to a high-intensity electric current, which caused great shock and damage to your meridians and muscles. You need time to rest and recover."

Sasuke remained silent, looking down at his powerless left hand.

Although it was wrapped up, the stinging sensation did not lessen.

Now, however, due to its own loss of control and eagerness for quick success, it has become a vulnerable part that needs to be "protected".

And the guardian was none other than the bottom-ranked guy in front of him, who looked even more badly injured than him.

This realization stung his proud pride like a needle.

"Where's Sakura?" Sasuke's voice was even lower than before; he needed to shift his attention.

Naruto seemed to have guessed his question and laughed, the laughter sounding a little strange through the bandages: "Haha! Sakura went out to find something to eat! We're both the worst patients right now, especially you."

"I was going out to find something to eat, but Sakura punched me back."

He imitated Sakura's tone, deliberately raising his voice: "'Naruto! You better stay put! Don't you want your head?!' Hey, you didn't see how fierce she was back then!"

Sasuke imagined the scene and his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

He knew Sakura's superhuman strength, of course. Naruto, that idiot, actually wanted to go on an adventure with that kind of body.

"What a mess."

Sasuke said something in a low voice, it was unclear whether he was referring to Naruto's desire to go out.

Is he referring to his own forced use of Chidori, or perhaps both?

However, although Naruto couldn't hear, he seemed to understand him perfectly and immediately replied.

His tone returned to normal, tinged with a hint of teasing: "Haha, I bet you're upset that I messed around, right? But, Sasuke,"

His voice suddenly became more serious, and his blue eyes looked directly at Sasuke through the gaps in the bandages. "But who told our great genius to be the first to act recklessly?"

Naruto's words were like a blunt knife, slowly cutting through the calm that Sasuke was trying to maintain.

He whirled around, his dark eyes sharply fixed on Naruto, his expression a mixture of annoyance at being exposed and bewildered by the concern he received: "You loser...!"

"What? What did you say?"