Naruto sat in his hospital room, reflecting on the mission two days ago. They had still failed to bring Sasuke back.
Kiba had suffered a stomach wound during the battle. Rock Lee suffered multiple muscle injuries and had completely depleted his chakra.
Lee was on the mend and even smiled as he told Naruto that when Sasuke used Chidori, he hadn't struck any vital areas.
Three days later, Naruto had made a full recovery. Tsunade summoned him to appear before the council.
## Council Chamber ##
When Naruto entered the chamber, conversations stopped, and everyone turned their gaze toward him. Nearly all the civilian council members glared at him bitterly. Naruto gave a calm greeting with a slight nod.
He also noticed the clan elders watching him closely.
He took a seat at the table and gestured for the elders to begin.
Tsunade cleared her throat loudly.
"Naruto, at the request of the Konoha Council, you've been brought here to explain the details of your mission to retrieve Sasuke Uchiha." She turned to the elders, "Please feel free to ask any questions."
Koharu Utatane spoke first.
"Naruto, could you please describe in detail what happened during your mission?"
Naruto nodded and explained everything that occurred, finally saying,
"I ultimately defeated Kimimaro, but I was severely injured and couldn't continue the mission. That's why I asked Gaara for help. He also found Lee, who was badly wounded."
A civilian council member stood up.
"So you're the reason the last Uchiha escaped, then?"
Naruto looked coldly at the man.
"You already know he escaped. You're just trying to pin the blame on someone."
Another council member stood up, pointing an accusing finger.
"Had you left Kimimaro behind and gone after Sasuke yourself, you could have stopped him."
Naruto replied angrily,
"Listen, Kimimaro was way out of Lee's league. I barely managed to defeat him with everything I had. None of Suna's reinforcements could handle Kimimaro alone either."
At this point, the head of the Hyuga clan spoke.
"Was that tremor beneath the village caused by you?"
Naruto knew there was no need to hide the truth now.
"Yes, that was me. Kimimaro activated his second-stage seal. I had to use a massive amount of chakra to defeat him, which resulted in multiple fractures across my body."
Ino Yamanaka's father asked curiously,
"Do you mind demonstrating that technique for us?"
Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"Of course I do. This move can't be used outside of battle, and honestly, I don't want to show you. It's no different than the secret techniques held by each of your clans."
An arrogant civilian stood up.
"We are members of the council, and you're a village ninja. We have the right to know your techniques!"
Naruto shot him a glare before turning to Tsunade.
"Only the Hokage can issue me orders on the battlefield. Are any of you the Hokage?"
They all shook their heads silently.
"You let the Uchiha slip away! You deserve punishment!"
Naruto stared coldly at the man and said,
"As I already said, Kimimaro was no match for Lee. If I hadn't stepped in, Kimimaro would've definitely killed him. I had a duty to protect him."
"Tell us more about that crater! What exactly did you do?"
The room erupted into noise again, with some civilians shouting nonsense like "The Nine-Tails has escaped!"
Naruto turned toward Tsunade.
"Hokage-sama, can I go now? I've already said everything."
Tsunade nodded. Naruto bowed to her and left the room. As the door shut behind him, the civilians started their uproar once more.
******
Naruto exhaled in relief. He leapt onto the rooftop and made his way toward his dorm.
Arriving at his dorm, Naruto opened the door and found Kankuro rifling through his fridge.
A vein throbbed on his forehead. Naruto grabbed Kankuro by the collar and hauled him out.
"Why are you still here?"
Kankuro smirked.
"Don't you remember? You told Gaara and me we could crash here."
Naruto glanced around his dorm.
"How is anyone supposed to live here with all of you? Why don't you just go to an inn? Aren't you rich guys?"
Kankuro chuckled.
"We left in a rush and didn't have time to grab cash. Luckily, Gaara asked you."
A vein bulged on Naruto's forehead.
"Gaara asked me when I was high on soldier pills and out of it—that doesn't count!"
Kankuro shrugged.
"Then it's settled. Temari's taking your bed, I'll lounge on the couch, and Gaara doesn't sleep—perfect setup."
"What about me..." Naruto frowned, "You guys must've eaten everything in my house! I'm not rich, you know!"
Muttering under his breath, he slammed the door behind him and stormed out of the dorm. Alone time was clearly off the table now, so he decided to grab a bite and headed to the most familiar place—Ichiraku Ramen.
Halfway through his seventh bowl at Ichiraku, relaxing as he always did, a familiar pink-haired figure sat beside him.
With noodles still in his mouth, Naruto turned toward Sakura.
Her eyes lit up as she began, "Naruto, Sasuke..."
Naruto held up a hand.
"Ask about Rock Lee first—he's stuck in the hospital right now."
Sakura looked like she might cry. Naruto sighed and pushed back his chair.
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