Sasuke woke up.
His eyes felt heavy, but he forced them open.
The first thing he saw was white—the white ceiling and the sharp scent of medicine stinging his nose.
Slowly, he tried to sit up, but it hurt. His muscles ached as if they had been torn apart.
And then—Sasuke began to remember. He had… lost to Naruto.
That look in Naruto's eyes—it reminded him of that night. The night when everything ended.
"Naruto…" he whispered.
He looked down at his hands, now wrapped in bandages. He could still feel the sting of the burns.
The wounds weren't serious and would heal easily, but the defeat—that could not be erased.
He… an Uchiha, had lost? An Uchiha, born of genius after genius? How could he lose?
Anger swelled painfully in his chest. His eyes were filled with regret. He even felt like tearing himself apart for that failure.
"That bastard was right… I'm still weak…" Sasuke recalled someone's words.
Slowly, he got up from the bed and left the infirmary room.
Then suddenly, his eyes widened. He saw Naruto—the one who had defeated him—sleeping on the couch with… a girl?
Sasuke stared for a moment, then looked away toward the door.
"Go ahead, play around with annoying girls, Naruto… Meanwhile, I, Sasuke, will continue training—until I can finally defeat you."
With unsteady steps, Sasuke left the infirmary. He had seen a clock on the wall and concluded it was already late afternoon.
He was heading home—not to rest, but to train.
"Sasuke?"
A voice called from behind.
Sasuke turned and saw Iruka standing there.
Iruka approached, wearing a concerned look. "Sasuke, are you alright? I'm sorry I didn't visit earlier. I had some things I needed to take care of," he said sincerely, and Sasuke believed him.
Sasuke simply nodded. "Yeah… it's fine." He wasn't sure what else to say.
In front of him, Iruka stayed quiet for a moment. He always found it difficult to talk to Sasuke—Sasuke rarely spoke, even to his classmates.
Iruka exhaled softly and looked at him again. "Sasuke, do you want to go to the hospital? I can take you there."
Sasuke shook his head. "No need, uh… sensei…" His voice caught slightly.
"But I want to ask something. While I was unconscious, did I miss anything important?"
Iruka smiled. "Yes, but nothing too major. I was planning to tell you anyway…
"Tomorrow, come here at 9 a.m. That's when team assignments will be announced—you'll be assigned your own team and jōnin sensei."
Sasuke nodded slowly. "Is that all?"
"Yes, that's all," Iruka confirmed.
Sasuke gave a final nod. "Then I'll be going."
"Alright. If anything comes up, don't hesitate to tell me," Iruka said after a brief silence.
Sasuke didn't respond. He simply turned away, intent on returning to his training. He… was still far too weak.
Behind him, Iruka watched Sasuke's back slowly fade into the distance, leaving him standing alone.
"Naruto… I never expected you to be the son of…" Iruka couldn't finish the sentence. He entered the infirmary, hoping to gather his thoughts.
There, he saw them—Naruto and Ino asleep, wrapped in each other's arms.
"You little brat… I was wondering where you went. Turns out you're in here," Iruka muttered, watching them.
He considered waking them, but eventually changed his mind.
Instead, he scribbled something on a piece of paper, hoping they'd read it later.
"Ah… youth," he sighed, and quietly left the two of them to their sleep.
One hour earlier
Iruka had decided to visit the Hokage's office to speak with Hiruzen.
He knocked gently on the door.
"Come in," a voice called from within.
Upon entering, Iruka saw Hiruzen's kind face. The elderly Hokage was seated at his desk, holding a sheet of paper.
"Hokage-sama," Iruka greeted respectfully.
Hiruzen nodded. "So… what brings you here? Has something happened at the academy?" He got straight to the point.
Across the desk, Iruka nodded. "Yes… It's about Naruto."
Hiruzen's eyebrows rose slightly, clearly intrigued. "What about him? Did he cause trouble?" His voice was calm but serious.
Iruka looked directly at him. His lips twitched slightly, unsure of how to begin. After a moment, he sighed and gathered his resolve.
"During the exam… Naruto used the Henge no Jutsu. At first, I thought he would transform into one of his friends—or even me—but instead… he transformed into the Fourth Hokage—Minato-sama…"
Hiruzen already knew where this was going, but he listened carefully.
"At that moment, Hokage-sama… I realized how similar they looked. The face, the hair, even the eyes. And with Naruto's recent improvement in skill… I started thinking that they might be father and son. So, am I right, Hokage-sama?"
Iruka's voice was soft but heavy with meaning.
In front of him, Hiruzen was silent for a moment. He took a slow puff from his pipe.
"Yes, you're right."
Iruka was stunned. He looked into Hiruzen's eyes, needing confirmation.
"You're not mistaken. He is Minato's son," Hiruzen repeated. His voice was firm but somber.
A long silence passed between them.
Iruka tried to process it all—Naruto, the Nine-Tails, Minato, a son, a father…
His thoughts swirled. Now he felt ashamed—even guilty—for ever hating Naruto. That boy… should have been known as the son of a hero, not the child of a demon.
He couldn't understand it. Why? Why did Naruto have to suffer?
Iruka turned his gaze to Hiruzen again, eyes filled with emotion.
"Hokage-sama… then why? Why?! Why did he have to suffer like that?!"
His voice rose, not caring who stood before him.
Hiruzen sighed softly. He tapped his desk gently, signaling Iruka to calm down.
Iruka quieted himself, though the calm was forced.
"We had no choice. Naruto's identity was too dangerous. Kushina and Minato had many enemies. That's why we decided to keep it secret."
Iruka fell silent again. He absorbed every word, though it still felt unfair.
"Then why? Why was his identity as a Jinchuuriki revealed instead?" Iruka pressed on, still not satisfied.
Hiruzen exhaled slowly. "We tried. But information leaks are hard to prevent—especially when the village was unstable…"
Iruka said nothing. He couldn't argue. As unfair as it felt, the explanation made sense.
In that quiet, his mind raced until finally he stood up, having heard what he needed to hear.
"Alright. Then with your permission, Hokage-sama… I'll take my leave." Iruka bowed and exited the room.
Hiruzen watched him go with a heavy heart. He felt tired of everything that had happened. Sometimes, he wondered—had his decisions truly been right?
"Naruto… I never asked you to be strong. I only wanted you to live happily in this village, without having to walk into war…
"And Danzo… I hope you're right this time. Because if not… I don't know what else I can do."