I'm Inside Naruto Manga

The sun still set late in August, and the afterglow lingered over the mountains. But no matter how long a sunny day lasted, night would always come. The chaos within Konoha was gradually subsiding as time passed.

Just as in the original work, when the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, fought Orochimaru and used the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, he said: 'Where tree leaves dance... one shall find flames... the fire's shadow will illuminate the village... and once again tree leaves shall bud anew.' Rising from adversity, the Ninja of Konoha fought with all their might for the people of their village.

After the initial chaos, the mainstay clans in the village, Hyuga, Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka, organized an effective counterattack. The Sunagakure and Otogakure's Ninjas, lacking reinforcements, began to retreat.

The setting sun hid behind the mountains, and the final shouts of battle ceased. The flames crackled in the ruins, and the moonlight cast a pale glow over the now-peaceful Konoha.

Some things were destined never to return. Ordinary people emerged from their shelters, looking at their changed home in speechless silence.

Hiruzen's fate differed from the tragic end he was supposed to meet, the Hokage's duty still needed to be fulfilled after the turmoil. When Hiruzen hurried back to the Hokage's Office to resume his duties, he was faced with an exceptionally busy aftermath.

It was a sleepless night for most, with the Hokage's Office brightly lit. ANBU and regular Ninja moved in and out frequently, and there was barely a moment of silence as reports and requests filled the room.

Konoha was a massive entity, and there were countless matters to address in the aftermath. However, after issuing the most urgent directives, Hiruzen dismissed the irrelevant people and gathered the relevant Ninja, as a pressing issue awaited their resolution.

During the crucial battle on the main rooftop of the Chunin Exams' venue, the Four Violet Flames Formation had been broken, thereby avoiding possible catastrophic consequences. However, a shocking fact that emerged afterward sparked a serious discussion among the village's higher-ups.

How to handle Raiden Hattori's defection.

…

Naruto didn't know how long he had been asleep. When he opened his eyes, he saw a white ceiling. After a brief moment of confusion, he smelled the scent of disinfectant.

The window was beside him, and the night darkness covered the glass, 'Was it already nighttime…?' Just as he regained consciousness, Naruto felt an inexplicable discomfort when he saw the dark scene outside.

"Naruto, you're awake!" A familiar female voice came from his side. It was Sakura. Naruto turned his head to see her face, now showing a look of relief after her worry.

The exhaustion from the fierce battle was still present. Naruto tried to move his fingers. He was lying on a hospital bed, with many parts of his body wrapped in bandages.

'It seemed that I am in the hospital in the village.' Naruto flashed a grin Sakura and said, "Oh, Sakura, have you been waiting for me to wake up this whole time? Haha, you really don't need to worry about me that much."

After saying this, Naruto could already predict that Sakura would scold him, but to his surprise, she remained calm. She only replied in a slightly reproachful tone, "Saying such things at a time like this… honestly."

There was an unusual gentleness in her voice. Naruto paused, remembering how she had been in danger in the forest during Gaara's partial transformation, and smiled, 'It was good that everyone was safe.'

"By the way, where is that guy Sasuke?" Naruto looked around, noticing that only Sakura was in the room and that no other familiar figures were around. "And how is the situation in the village? Since I'm being treated here, I guess the attack was repelled, right?"

"Yeah, the invading enemies have been eliminated, and everyone is safe." Sakura nodded with a smile, "But although the village is safe now, it seems there's still a lot to deal with, and all the adults outside are really busy."

"As for Sasuke..." At this point, Sakura's face showed a hint of uncertainty, "I'm not too sure either. At first, he was also in the ward, but since his injuries were lighter, he might have been discharged already."

"I see." Naruto nodded after hearing this, then frowned slightly as he realized something, "What's up with that? How come you're the only one who came to see me? We're supposed to be a team, and I did save him when we were fighting that sand guy..."

Upon hearing this, Sakura's eyelids twitched, and the gentle smile she had maintained quickly disappeared, "What do you mean, only I came to see you...?"

In the end, she managed to hold back, and Sakura sighed and said, "Everyone has already come to see you. Half an hour ago, Kakashi-sensei was here too, but he looked pretty serious. Once he saw you were okay, he left immediately."

Sakura's eyes showed a trace of the cowardice of an ordinary girl who couldn't take charge of herself at an important moment, "The adults are all really busy. After all..."

"So everyone has already come to see me, huh?" Naruto rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, but accidentally tugged at his sore muscles, causing him to cry out in pain.

Sakura looked at her teammate with exasperation. If her parents hadn't gone to help and she have nothing to do, she wouldn't have bothered staying here with the clueless Naruto.

"But why did Kakashi-sensei look so serious?"

"I told you, the village has a lot going on! How would I know the details?!"

"Uh, okay..."

Naruto's skill in talking to girls was practically nonexistent. The room quickly fell silent, and as the atmosphere became more and more awkward, Naruto scratched his head, trying to think of something to say. Just then, the door to the hospital room opened.

The black clothes with the Uchiha Clan's crest were unmistakable, it was Sasuke. Naruto was a little surprised to see Sasuke come in.

Sasuke was moving with ease, showing no obvious signs of injury, except for a bandage on his face.

"It's Sasuke...and Kakashi-sensei!"

Sakura greeted them. Halfway through her sentence, she noticed someone else coming in behind him and added in surprise.

"Hmm."

Both Kakashi and Sasuke seemed to have something on their mind, their faces looking grave as they only responded with a soft hum.

Especially Sasuke, who looked as serious as ever, with a shadow in his eyes. Naruto noticed this and sensed something was wrong, 'It was rare to see this guy looked like that.'

Kakashi and Sasuke approached the bed without saying a word, and Sakura also sensed the heavy atmosphere surrounding them.

"What's going on... did something happen?" Naruto asked worriedly. He also suddenly realized that there was still one person missing from Team 7.

"Hey, has Hattori-sensei not come to see Naruto yet? Haha..." Sakura tried to ease the tension with a casual remark, a habit from her social skills, but this light-hearted comment made Sasuke's expression even worse.

Kakashi's face looked complicated, and he hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to share the ridiculous-sounding news with Naruto and Sakura. Even though some time had passed since learning about it, he was still struggling to fully grasp the reality of the situation.

Sasuke, unlike Kakashi with his adult considerations, took a deep breath and spoke directly, meeting Naruto's gaze, "Naruto, let's go."

His tone was calm, but underneath, he was not at all calm.

"Huh, go where?"

"We're going to bring back Hattori-sensei."