Konoha Hospital.
Naruto stood at the entrance.
There was a constant flow of people coming in and out of the building.
The top priority was Hinata's mother's health.
She was still hospitalized, her condition barely holding steady, but her decline was inevitable.
At this rate, it was uncertain whether she would survive another six months.
Given that, the provocations of a fool like Kurenai Yūhi were clearly a secondary concern.
There was something else, too.
Uchiha Izumi, injured during the attack the previous day, was also hospitalized...
And after his negotiation with Danzō, some things had been confirmed.
Naruto knew he had to accelerate his plan to save the Uchiha.
Danzō already intended to kill Shisui Uchiha and had devised a plan to do so.
All that was missing was the right moment for Shisui to die.
And after Shisui's death, Itachi would gradually be manipulated by Danzō, until he became a weapon in his hands... a weapon that would annihilate his own clan.
That was out of the question.
Naruto had long been thinking about how to save the Uchiha.
He already had several methods in mind, adjusted according to how the situation evolved.
Shisui Uchiha was already doomed.
Itachi Uchiha, on the other hand, was not on his side.
So it made sense, with Naruto's intelligence, to position himself in opposition to Itachi.
As he was brooding over these thoughts, Hyūga Akira came out of the hospital.
"Master Naruto..."
She lowered her head slightly, her voice filled with bitterness, as if resigned to her fate.
After what had happened, she had no way to redeem herself.
If she wanted to survive within the Hyūga clan, she would have no choice but to rely on him.
Especially... to hide certain incidents.
If the Hyūga learned she had lost her purity...
What would this traditionalist clan do to her?
Naruto gave a small smile and handed Akira a box he had been holding.
An elegantly wrapped box, containing a jar of medicine.
Inside was a "secret preparation" he had concocted himself.
Well, this "secret preparation" was only a semi-finished product for now.
Like sugar or salt added to other medicines, it served only as an adjuvant.
The real active ingredient had yet to be prepared.
And for that, he couldn't act alone. He needed an assistant.
That assistant was, of course, Hyūga Akira.
"Akira... I'm going to need your help."
There was a hint of malicious cruelty in his voice.
Akira, holding the box in her hands, trembled slightly before bowing.
"Yes…"
---
The two walked down the hospital corridor.
They didn't have to worry about Yūhi Kurenai. Already compromised, she would keep their secrets no matter what—that much was certain.
They could therefore focus entirely on their task.
They avoided the main hallway and took a quieter, secondary corridor.
Thanks to Akira's earlier arrangements, a small room had been reserved for her.
A place where she could rest while keeping an eye on Hyūga Hanabi.
The room was tiny: a bed, a wardrobe, a few hooks on the wall.
As Naruto inspected the place, Akira got to work.
She gently closed the door, her lips tightly pressed together, betraying the inevitability of her fate.
Then she opened the box and took out the jar of medicine.
As she unscrewed the lid, a sharp, acrid smell escaped.
The liquid only filled about a third of the jar.
The rest—at least a third, maybe two-thirds—still needed to be completed with...
She placed the jar on the wardrobe.
Her arms began to tremble.
"Let's begin."
Naruto pulled out a chair and sat down, waiting for Akira to fulfill her role.
Akira slowly knelt and extended her delicate hands.
A strange rustling sound echoed—and the Symbiotic Tailed Beast appeared.
The Uzumaki clan's secret medicine didn't rely solely on common ingredients.
The core of the recipe lay in the raising of this beast.
Its essence, its blood, its vitality... these were the key.
Extracting a portion of this energy was now Akira's mission.
Faced with the monstrous, terrifying creature, her face grew even paler.
This was it... the beast that had attacked and wounded her...
It seemed asleep, but would it awaken if its vital essence was taken?
Akira didn't know.
Born into a rigid clan, she had no knowledge in this field.
She could only... try her luck.
So, her slender fingers began the extraction...
---
In Uchiha Izumi's Room.
Lying on her bed, Izumi couldn't stop thinking about Itachi's expression.
That terrifying grimace—something she had never seen on him before...
Why...?
At that moment, the door creaked open.
"Izumi-nee..."
It was Sako who entered.
"Sako..."
Izumi smiled as she saw her.
The adorable girl placed a gift on the bedside table.
"How are you? I heard you were hurt…"
"I'm fine, don't worry about me."
Izumi shook her head, her gentle and soothing aura still intact despite her condition.
Bathed in that gentleness, Sako was more convinced than ever that Izumi would make a wonderful wife for her brother.
She pictured them side by side—a perfect image.
Contrary to what some might fear, Izumi, though of mixed heritage, faced no discrimination.
The members of the Uchiha clan had all come to visit her, and Sako had naturally been informed of her condition.
The two girls chatted for a while, then Izumi said:
"The one who saved me... was Naruto."
"Huh? Really?"
Sako looked surprised, then put on a nonchalant expression.
Yet, the light in her eyes and her smile betrayed her joy.
Seeing the contrast between the reactions of brother and sister, Izumi felt her unease grow.
"Sako... your brother really has a problem with Naruto, doesn't he?"
"Uh..."
Sako hesitated, then nodded.
"It's maybe like the other villagers... Because of Naruto's... unusual identity."
Uzumaki Naruto, the Nine-Tails demon boy.
"I see..." Izumi nodded, somewhat reassured.
"And what about you, Izumi-nee? What do you think of Naruto?"
Sako secretly hoped Izumi would be on her side.
"I think that... Naruto is a kind boy..."
Izumi smiled tenderly.
"A good boy..."