novelones Chapter 356 is not over.
Chapter 356 is not over.
Konoha Hospital, Special Care Ward.
The air was so thick it felt like you could wring water out of it, and the oppressive atmosphere weighed heavily on everyone's hearts. The ward door was gently pushed open, and the medical ninja in charge of the examination walked out with a solemn expression, gesturing to the people waiting outside that they could enter.
Almost as soon as the door opened, Uchiha Satsuki rushed in. She came to the bedside, her gaze fixed on the unconscious Naruto, and then suddenly turned to the medical ninja who followed her in, her voice trembling uncontrollably and filled with excitement that was almost beyond her control.
"Excuse me, what's going on...? How is Naruto...?!"
On the hospital bed, Naruto lay quietly, his eyes closed, his face abnormally pale. But he was not entirely calm—his body was trembling slightly uncontrollably, and fine beads of cold sweat were constantly seeping from his forehead.
The medical ninja was an experienced Jonin. He first nodded to the anxious crowd, especially to Jiraiya and Kushina who entered later, and then looked at Satsuki, who had asked the first question, carefully choosing his words.
"Please don't panic. After a preliminary and comprehensive examination, we can confirm that Naruto... is not in immediate danger. Although his heartbeat, breathing, and basic vital signs are fluctuating somewhat, they are all within the range necessary to sustain life."
Upon hearing the words "no danger to his life," Satsuki's tense shoulders relaxed for a moment, but then tightened again at Naruto's pained expression. She wanted to ask more questions.
The medical ninja decided to explain the most troublesome situation all at once. His expression became more serious, and his voice lowered.
"But...that's precisely the problem."
"We used all conventional and some unconventional testing methods, and even asked the Hyuga clan for help in tracing his chakra pathways... Based on current medical knowledge, we... cannot determine when he will wake up, nor can we guarantee that he will definitely wake up."
These words struck like a heavy hammer, hitting everyone's heart hard.
He continued, "We discovered that there seems to be some unknown, persistent 'thing' inside Naruto's body, which is slowly but continuously eroding and consuming his life energy."
"However—" The medical ninja frowned even more deeply, "Naruto's life energy, in both quantity and activity, far exceeds that of ordinary humans. Moreover, what's most perplexing is that whenever his life energy is depleted, his body... automatically replenishes it with an equal amount from some unknown source!"
"This 'replenishment' seems to have kept him alive, but it is not without cost. Upon observation, this 'replenishment' appears to have depleted and overdrawn his 'spiritual energy'."
"Or rather, it comes at the cost of brain activity and the power of consciousness. If this situation continues without a solution..."
He paused for a moment before uttering that terrible word heavily.
"...Naruto's consciousness may fall into permanent slumber due to the excessive depletion of his mental energy. He may... remain asleep like this indefinitely, becoming... a 'vegetative state'."
"Wh...what..." Zuo Yue staggered, grabbing the cold hospital bed railing for support. She couldn't understand, couldn't accept it. He was perfectly fine just a moment ago, he was even smiling and reassuring her that "it's okay," so why did things turn out like this in the blink of an eye?
One moment she was in heaven, the next she was as if she had been pushed directly into the abyss of despair, where coldness and darkness instantly swallowed her up.
She whirled around, her gaze like a sharpened blade, piercing the eyes of Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Boruto, who stood in the corner of the ward, their faces equally grave. All her fear, helplessness, and uncertainty transformed in that moment into a sharp question and a final flicker of hope:
"You...you must know something, right?! That enemy! That guy named Urashiki! You must know what he did to Naruto in the end, right?! You...since you're from the future, you must have a way to save him, right?! Tell me! Please tell me!!"
Her voice rose with excitement, becoming hoarse and cracking. And if she received a negative answer, the power they had just been discussing would likely awaken immediately.
"I..." Boruto began instinctively, then abruptly stopped. A clear struggle and confusion flashed across his face. Yes, he knew about the black diamond-shaped mark; he had an identical one on his own hand... but...
"You...don't you know? Why?!" Satsuki's emotions surged even higher, her chest heaving violently. "You came here to protect Naruto, didn't you?! Now that he's in trouble, you..."
Her words came to an abrupt halt, her gaze shifting back and forth between her other self and her other self in another world… Her reason returned slightly, and she realized that her anger might not be entirely fair. She forced herself to swallow back even more vehement words.
But the plea and despair were even more intense, and his voice even carried an uncontrollable sob.
"But...you must have a way...please...save Naruto..."
"...It seems," a voice suppressing immense emotion rang out, and Kushina Uzumaki slowly stepped forward. She first gently stroked Sasuke's head, then raised her head, her eyes now veiled with unfathomable worry and a forced composure, as she looked at Sasuke and Boruto.
"You've kept a lot of things from me."
Her voice was relatively steady, but her slightly trembling body betrayed the fear that she herself was also on the verge of collapse.
As the wife of a hero who died protecting her village, she would not hold a grudge against those who might be "reinforcements."
But... if Naruto really suffers an irreversible accident because of this... even as an impure spirit, she will never let the one who harmed her son rest in peace, even if she has to search to the ends of the earth and the end of time.
Kushina forced herself to remain calm. "I hope you... can tell me everything you know about that enemy, about this mark, about anything that might be relevant. Even the slightest clue that could save Naruto, please tell us."
"Hmm." Jiraiya, who had been silent all along, stepped forward, his expression more solemn than ever before, even filled with deep self-reproach. He glanced at Naruto, who was struggling in pain on the hospital bed, then looked at Sasuke and Boruto. "I hope you can cooperate. Tell us exactly who this suddenly appearing enemy—that so-called 'Otsutsuki Urashiki'—is, what his abilities are, and especially any possible backup plans he might have left behind."
He had already lost two disciples on whom he had placed his hopes; he absolutely could not lose this child before him, whom he regarded as his hope, and perhaps even the future of the ninja world.
A brief silence fell over the ward, broken only by the soft ticking of the medical equipment and Naruto's unconscious, suppressed breathing.
"...Hmm." After a long period of contemplation, Uchiha Sasuke finally spoke slowly.
"It seems there's no other choice. Boruto, let's go. I'll explain everything I know."
Boruto clenched one hand and opened his palm. There, a black diamond-shaped mark almost identical to the one on Naruto's palm stood quietly.
He looked at the unconscious Naruto, his heart filled with immense confusion and unease.
Did the "father" of this world also suffer from the same "mark" as himself?
But why... have I never fallen into a coma because of this mark?
------
Consciousness, like a drowning person sinking into the deep sea, struggles in darkness and nothingness, and finally rises suddenly, breaking through that viscous boundary.
When I "opened my eyes" again—or rather, the moment I regained my senses—what greeted my eyes was a completely unexpected scene.
The vast grassland, stretching to the horizon, unfolds under a soft light.
The grass is a vibrant, lush green, swaying in the wind like undulating waves that meet the clear, azure sky. A gentle breeze carries the fresh scent of grass and damp earth.
Scattered across the grassland are several large lakes, their waters crystal clear, reflecting the clouds and sunlight in the sky. The surface of the water ripples gently in the breeze.
A peaceful and serene scene stood in stark and absurd contrast to the devastating battlefield and the atmosphere of death and despair that followed.
Is this... that kid's... inner world?
Urashiki Otsutsuki, who had returned to his normal human form but whose eyes still retained the evolved golden Rinnegan, looked down blankly at his "body," which was completely unharmed and felt no pain or weakness whatsoever.
He raised his hand, clenched his fist, and felt the "presence" that was not physical, yet incredibly clear.
After a brief moment of confusion came an uncontrollable ecstasy, like a volcanic eruption!
He quickly assessed his condition—not fully resurrected, but rather parasitically, or rather, trapped in this strange mental space, in the form of a peculiar "consciousness" or "fragment of the soul." But so what? This was a billion times better than complete annihilation, his consciousness returning to nothingness!
"Hmph... Hmph hmph hmph... Hehehe..."
An uncontrollable, trembling chuckle escaped his throat, then grew louder and more unrestrained, finally transforming into a hysterical, wildly joyful laugh filled with the elation of surviving a catastrophe.
"Hahahahahaha—!!! I knew it! I knew it!! How could I possibly meet my end so easily, like those inferior creatures!!!"
He opened his arms wide, as if to embrace the grassland and the sky. "It's a success... It's simply... a gift from fate!! This body! It's mine! Hahahaha!!"
However, his triumphant laughter did not last long.
"roar--!!!!!!!!!!!"
A roar, seemingly from the deepest part of hell, filled with boundless rage and deep-seated hatred, suddenly exploded behind him like a thunderclap!
What followed was an even more chilling question than a roar, a question that seemed to be squeezed out word by word, as if the speaker was about to grind their teeth to pieces. The hatred and murderous intent in that voice were so intense that it seemed as if the speaker wanted to tear Pu Shi to pieces.
"You bastard!! What did you do to Naruto?!"
Pu Shi's maniacal laughter stopped abruptly, and he turned around abruptly.
Not far behind him, above the tranquil grassland, red chakra surged wildly like erupting volcanic lava! At the center of that surging torrent of chakra, a pair of enormous, blood-moon-like, scarlet beast eyes, burning with an insatiable rage, were fixed on him, as if determined to devour him alive!