Chapter 125: Visiting the Teammates at the Hospital
Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its characters belong to Shueisha and Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I create.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 125: Visiting the Teammates at the Hospital
When Naruto arrived at the hospital, he spotted a depressed-looking Rock Lee sitting on one of the benches just outside and decided to approach him.
"I take it things didn't go well with Tsunade?" Naruto asked.
Lee lifted his head slowly. "Naruto?..." He then shook his head, his expression grim. "She told me I should quit being a ninja…"
"What? After all the effort I put into bringing that woman back and she said that?!". Naruto exclaimed. " Hold on...what else did she say?" He must be missing something.
Lee blinked, shocked to hear Naruto speak about the new Hokage that way. He had no idea Naruto was involved in her return, as the elders had kept that part of the story a secret...along with the money they gave Tsunade to cover her gambling debts.
Regaining his composure, Lee continued.
"She said that the operation to restore my bones would only have around a fifty percent chance of success. And if it fails… I'll probably die."
"Wait?.... then why are you so sad? I thought she said there was no chance of recovery." Naruto replied, genuinely confused.
"But… I could die," Lee muttered.
"Or you could recover completely. What's the alternative? Give up your life as a martial artist and live like a civilian? Become a farmer or a shopkeeper?. Is that what you want to do for the rest of your life?." Naruto asked him.
"Well… I haven't really thought about that…" Lee admitted, still unsure.
"What is there to think about?" Naruto asked. "Since the first time I saw you fight, I knew you were a martial artist to your core. That's who you are. Now, you have a fifty percent chance to keep being one."
Lee still looked hesitant. "And if I die…?"
"There's no success without risk," Naruto said, knowing that from what he understood about karma, if Lee died young, he would probably be reincarnated into a good life. But that wasn't something he planned on sharing.
Instead, Naruto pulled out a small scroll. "Inside this scroll is an ancient technique I found."
This piqued Lee's interest. "An ancient technique?" he asked, wondering how this was relevant.
"This technique allows the user to channel chakra into their bones and muscles, increasing their strength and speed several times over. With this method, one can turn their bodies into weapon capable of surpassing all human limits. And it's especially effective for someone with your condition." Naruto had intentionally modified one of his old cultivation techniques specifically for Lee.
"You know about my condition?" Lee asked, surprised.
"I do. I actually came here today to hand this over to your sensei, so he could teach it to you."
"Really?!" Lee didn't even question why Naruto would give the technique to his sensei instead of him directly.
"Indeed. But now I find you like this… with no will to fight. I wonder if I was wrong about you. Perhaps you're not the martial artist I thought you were," Naruto sighed, and turned to leave. "Goodbye Lee, I wish you well with whatever you intend to do."
He hadn't even taken three steps before Lee called out.
"Wait! I'll do it! I'm not giving up!" Lee exclaimed, his determination rekindled. "I'll take the surgery!"
Naruto turned back and smiled.
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"Naruto? What took you so long to visit?!" Sakura demanded as Naruto crossed the entrance to the private room.
"Nice to see you too, Sakura," Naruto replied.
"Lady Tsunade was here yesterday. She treated Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei. You should have been here," Sakura said with a frown.
"I was feeling a bit tired yesterday," Naruto explained. "You see, I was one of the people responsible for bringing that healer back to the village so she could treat my sensei and teammate." That was at least half true.
"You did?" Sakura was surprised by this revelation. She had noticed his absence but had no idea of his involvement in Tsunade's return.
"Are you making that up to sound cool or something?"
Sasuke, who was lying in bed, glared at Naruto.
"Does that sound like something I would do?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.
Sakura hesitated for a moment. She couldn't really accuse him of lying...and he had no reason to do that.
Sasuke, on the other hand, knew a bit more. He had seen Naruto in that town. He hadn't seen Jiraiya, but he had heard about them leaving the village together.
Naruto's gaze shifted to a metal tray lying in the corner of the room, along with several food items. It seemed to have been thrown with enough force to leave a mark on the wall. He could feel a tinge of bloodlust emanating from Sasuke.
"So… how's our sensei?" Naruto asked, breaking the tension.
Sakura, oblivious to the mood, answered. "He left early this morning, but Sasuke is going to be released after one more exam around midday. Isn't that great?" She had barely left his bedside, so she was looking forward to a bath, clean clothes, and a good night's sleep.
"Wonderful..." Naruto glanced at Sasuke, whose grip on the bedsheets was so tight that they were beginning to tear.
"Sasuke? What's wrong?" Sakura finally noticed something was off.
"Are you in pain? Should I call the doctor?"
"Naruto!" Sasuke's voice grew louder, filled with frustration.
"If there's something you want to say, don't hold back. We're teammates after all," Naruto said, maintaining his calm.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed, turning a shade of red as his Sharingan activated.
"Yes, there is something I want from you… fight me."
Naruto grinned.
"I'm surprised you didn't ask sooner."
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