Several shuriken whizzed through the air, their sharp edges slicing the wind!
Ryuzetsu, sprinting at full speed, tensed and leaped upward.
Swish, swish, swish.
The shuriken's blades grazed her cheek, drawing blood and severing a few strands of her hair.
Barely dodging the attack, Ryuzetsu didn't dare look back. She pushed off again, vaulting onto a nearby tree, using its canopy as cover to continue her desperate escape.
From the moment she left the Grass Shinobi Village, she had been targeted and relentlessly pursued.
She had hoped that crossing into the Land of Fire would deter her pursuers, but they showed no sign of giving up.
Exhausted and with no other options, she sought aid from the Hidden Leaf's border outpost.
Fortunately, the Leaf shinobi at the outpost held off her attackers for a time, allowing her to temporarily shake them and continue her journey.
The attackers' ruthless persistence made her realize just how critical the classified scroll she carried was, strengthening her resolve to reach the Hidden Leaf for help.
But just as she neared the Hidden Leaf Village, the assailants, previously stalled by the border outpost, reappeared.
"The Hidden Leaf Village is just ahead. I have to hold on!"
Ryuzetsu's gaze hardened, despite not having slept for days.
Hidden Leaf Hospital.
"Sasuke, we're here to see you!"
Sakura, Naruto, Ino, Shion, and other classmates pushed open the door to Sasuke's hospital room, filing in one by one.
Sakura and the others had wanted to visit Sasuke earlier, but his condition had been classified as confidential, barring all non-essential visitors. They'd waited a full week for this chance.
Placing flowers and fruit on the bedside table, Sakura was the first to speak. "Sasuke, are you feeling better?"
Sasuke waved a hand impatiently. "I've been fine for a while!"
Ino beamed. "That's great!"
No doubt, Sasuke's awakening of the Mangekyo Sharingan had skyrocketed his popularity among his peers. Though he'd lost to Yakumo, many were still drawn to his "beautiful, strong, and tragic" persona.
Naruto pushed to the front. "Sasuke, you've got it easy, lounging in bed all day! I'm the one suffering, forced to train every single day!"
"Idiot!"
Sasuke snorted coldly.
Naruto, unfazed, grinned excitedly. "Sasuke, can you show me your Mangekyo Sharingan?"
Before Sasuke could respond, Sakura bopped Naruto on the head. "Can't you see Sasuke's still in the hospital? Don't make rude requests!"
Sasuke said, "My body's fully recovered. I could leave anytime."
As he spoke, he scanned the group of visitors, noticing Shinji's absence, a flicker of disappointment in his eyes.
Sakura, mistaking it for dissatisfaction with the turnout, quickly explained, "Actually, a lot more classmates wanted to visit, but Iruka-sensei stopped them."
"No need for visitors!" Sasuke paused, then turned to Shion. "Hey, what's Yakumo been up to lately?"
Since neither Yakumo nor Kimimaro from Yakumo's team had come, Sasuke had to ask Shion.
Shion shrugged, then asked curiously, "Same as usual—school, training, you know! Why ask? You're not planning to challenge her again, are you?"
Her question piqued everyone's interest, and they turned to Sasuke.
Sasuke's voice was low. "Tell her I felt that punch of hers last time. Next time, I'll make her feel the power of my Mangekyo Sharingan!"
If losing to other academy prodigies before gave Sasuke excuses to justify his defeats, awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan left him with none. Even if challenging Yakumo again risked exposing his Mangekyo Sharingan's abilities, he couldn't back down. He couldn't allow himself, a Mangekyo-wielding Uchiha, to lose to an academy student!
Not even to Yakumo, who wielded "Wood Release."
Leaving Sasuke's room, the classmates chattered excitedly about Sasuke's intent to challenge Yakumo again.
"Who do you think'll win this time?"
"Probably Yakumo. Her 'Wood Release' is getting stronger. She even shattered Sasuke's 'Susanoo' last time."
"Not necessarily! Remember Akatsuki's 'B'? Yakumo herself admitted she's no match for 'B'."
"But Sasuke doesn't seem as strong as 'B', does he?"
"That's just because Sasuke hasn't fully adapted to his Mangekyo Sharingan! They're both Mangekyo Sharingan users. With Sasuke's talent, how could he be worse than anyone else?"
Laughing and talking, they ran into Shinji, who was heading to the medical corps' laboratory.
Shinji paused, then realized something. "You guys went to see Sasuke? How's he doing?"
Naruto grinned. "That guy's got it made!"
Ino smiled. "Yeah, Sasuke's fine now. He said he could leave the hospital anytime."
Shion leaned closer to Shinji. "Weird, though. You've been coming to the hospital every day. Haven't you visited Sasuke?"
Shinji had been too busy to visit Sasuke, so he smiled, ready to brush it off with a casual reply.
But at that moment, a Hidden Leaf shinobi burst into the hospital, carrying a battered, dirt-streaked girl on his back, shouting, "Make way!"
Shinji glanced over and stepped to the edge of the corridor.
Soon, the Leaf shinobi, carrying the injured girl, rushed past Shinji toward the treatment room.
"Hm?"
Shinji, who had been about to chat with his classmates before heading to the lab, suddenly frowned, looking toward the treatment room.
As the Leaf shinobi passed by with the girl, Shinji had noticed the Grass Village emblem on her headband, partially obscured by her hair.
"Grass shinobi…?"
A Grass shinobi appearing in the Hidden Leaf's hospital, injured and looking as though she'd traveled a long, grueling journey.
The combination of these oddities piqued his interest.
After dismissing Naruto, Shion, and the others, he strolled toward the treatment room.
Inside, the medical shinobi on duty seemed to have stepped away, leaving the Leaf shinobi who brought the girl pacing anxiously.
Shinji pushed open the door, skillfully checking the girl's injuries while casually asking, "What's going on here?"