After the war, Naruto was left with simple missions.
Instead, the world kept spinning and Sasuke was not with him, he had chosen to leave to atone for his sins.
I missed him a lot, it's nice to see him again during a mission, but it wasn't nice un...
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His eyelids were closed, but he could hear everything again; he felt a softness beneath him, his hands clenched, and his fingers tensed at first, but then relaxed. He listened to the chirping birds and sensed the presence of other animals - from the footsteps of a large creature to the faint hum of a tiny bee. He couldn't open his eyes yet; the light would irritate his vision. The fox within him was already awake.
"Kid, don't open your eyes yet; do itgradually and cover them with your hands," the fox instructed in his mind.
Naruto mentally nodded. However, when he tried to lift one hand, he felt resistance. A clip was attached to his index finger, holding him in place. Naruto knew that moving his hand further would pull something; a cable was taut.
Naruto imagined it was the device his grandmother had mentioned before he fell asleep. He smiled slightly, knowing she must have visited him. With his free hand, Naruto covered his eyes to shield them from the light and slowly opened them, using his hand as a makeshift shade to protect his pupils from the harsh sunlight streaming through the window.
As he took in his surroundings, he saw that he was in a large room with a big window, sky-blue walls, and a small pendant light hanging from the ceiling. Movement caught his attention - someone or something was on his bed. He turned his head toward the intruder and saw his grandmother's summon, the slug.
"Naruto-sama, he's awake," the slug said. Naruto responded with a gentle smile, knowing his grandmother would appear soon. The slug must have already informed her.
And so it was, minutes later, Tsunade appeared along with Sakura and Shizune, directly in his room. The two younger women already had tears in their eyes.
"Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed, already by his side. The blonde gave her a loving smile. She sat down beside him and carefully removed the device from his finger, helping him sit up.
"You look beautiful, Sakura," Naruto said with a hoarse voice, due to the long sleep, and he wasn't lying. His best friend looked stunning. Her hair was shorter than before, she wore a pink shirt and black pants, and around her waist was a thick black belt. The seal on her forehead made her look even more beautiful.
She let out a laugh and hugged him tightly. Naruto melted into the hug and looked at his grandmother alongside Shizune, who were smiling at him. As they parted from the hug, Naruto gave them a smile and asked them to come closer.
One by one, they hugged him.
"Hello, kid," his grandmother whispered in his ear and kissed his forehead. Naruto hugged her tightly. Shizune received the same treatment.
"How long did I sleep?" he asked.
"A year, sweetie," the dark-haired woman replied. Naruto's eyes widened, thinking it had only been six months. "That's a long time," he whispered to himself.
