Chapter 144: No Matter Who He Chooses, We're Still Friends
On Kurenai Yūhi's end, she had gotten Akiyama Makoto to the Konoha Hospital just in time. If she had been any later, his wound would have already healed.
Of course, she didn't know this. To prevent his wound from healing so quickly, he had to actively use his own medical ninjutsu knowledge to stop it from closing. Otherwise, he wouldn't have known how to continue this act.
Kurenai placed him on a hospital bed. The rest of the task would be left to the doctors. Although she also knew medical ninjutsu, she was not a professional. At a time like this, it was better to trust the abilities of the experts.
But just as she was about to leave the ward, she saw a blood-stained envelope on the floor.
She picked it up with a puzzled expression and immediately saw the mark where a kunai had pierced it. She realized it was his own letter. Her expression changed slightly. She took the letter and left the room.
Outside the door, the girls immediately surrounded her, asking about his condition.
"Don't worry, his life isn't in danger. The wound is in his abdomen, as you all saw."
Kurenai comforted them. Just as she was about to ask if anyone knew what this letter was, Tenten had already cried out in alarm.
"This is..."
Several pairs of eyes turned to look at Tenten in unison. Her eyes reddened. A short while ago, she had been talking about love with him under the moonlight. In the blink of an eye, he was seriously injured and back in the hospital. It seemed the two of them were fated to be together, but could their fated meeting place please not be the hospital again?
"Tenten, what is it? Tell us!" Sakura, being the most impatient, had already grabbed her shoulders and started shaking her.
"I don't know either! Makoto-kun was about to show this to me, and then you all came."
"Then Naruto appeared, and he chased after him. He never even opened it."
"You mean to say, this letter was written for you?"
Tenten nodded, a little uncertain. "From his tone at the time, I think this letter... could also be for any one of us."
"He said that we couldn't go on so vaguely, that some important things had to be made clear."
The girls looked at each other, their hearts filled with both nervousness and anxiety, yet also full of anticipation as they looked at the letter.
Seeing them all looking so lost, Kurenai shook her head. "I'll open it."
"Makoto-kun calls me his big sister, and he probably does see me as one. So it shouldn't count as peeking if I open it."
Hearing her say this, the girls immediately quieted down. But as Kurenai was opening the envelope, Hinata said, "Um, is it really okay to do it here? What if we make a noise and disturb him?"
"Then let's go to the rooftop. He probably needs to rest for a while anyway."
The girls nodded. Although they were reluctant to leave his side, they were even more curious about the contents of this letter. So, they quietly left the emergency room and went up to the rooftop.
Less than half a minute after they left, a doctor with a look of joyful surprise walked out of the operating room. He was just about to share with the family that Makoto possessed an unconscious healing ability like the First Hokage, but found that there was no one there. He had no choice but to report this matter to the ninja on duty in the hospital, who then reported it to the Hokage.
"Then I'll start reading."
Kurenai cleared her throat, looking at the firm and shapely handwriting on the page. She herself started to feel nervous. How wonderful it would be if this letter were written for her... she thought subconsciously. But with four pairs of eyes staring at her, she could only read it aloud.
"Under the moonlight, on this night of fluttering cherry blossoms, I dreamed of such a scene."
"You are in a sun-drenched flower room, adorned with green leaves by the window; the pleasant clash of your ninja tools is like wind chimes; your bright smile as you bury your head in the soft quilt; in my eyes, you are a beautiful pink dream."
"I quietly await the sound of your footsteps to fill the empty courtyard. This is my heartfelt wish, to be able to say once again, under the same roof, 'The moonlight is beautiful tonight'."
"To—From Akiyama Makoto."
Listening to these gentle words, the girls all showed expressions of longing. And when Kurenai was about to read who the letter was addressed to, their hearts were all in their throats.
But in the end, she did not read out the name. This made the girls anxious.
"Jōnin Kurenai, who is this letter for?!"
"Yeah, why didn't you read it out?"
"It's not that I don't want to, but—"
Kurenai showed them the front of the letter. The part pierced by the kunai was right at the bottom. The blood had caused the ink to run, and it was impossible to see what was written there.
The girls looked at each other, their emotions bungee jumping between great expectation and joy. Their expressions had become somewhat dazed.
Seeing this, Kurenai couldn't help but marvel. This "little brother" of hers was truly charming. Let alone them, when she had seen him speak so passionately to save Naruto, her own blood had boiled. That was indeed the image of the hero she had been longing for... It was just a pity this hero was a bit of a playboy.
Oh well. Whether he's a playboy or not isn't her concern. Let these girls worry about it.
"I'll give you the letter. You can discuss what to do with it yourselves."
"But I hope you don't disturb his rest."
The girls nodded repeatedly. On this point, they would definitely comply.
"Then you should discuss it. I'll go and wait by the door of his room. It can't be left empty."
"If he wakes up and finds no one there, he'll be sad."
Kurenai remembered the attachment he had shown her those past few days. At that time, he really could have been her little brother. It was just a pity that this little brother had grown up and now wanted to be her great hero... If he brought it up again, should she accept?
This is so difficult...
After Kurenai left, each of the four girls held a corner of the letter, none of them willing to let go.
Normally, they would just laugh and joke around. Although they could all see that they had feelings for him, none of them had ever thought it would come to this.
With a rip, the place where the letter had been pierced tore a little. Startled, they finally let go.
In the end, Tenten took the letter. "I'm the oldest, and I was the first to meet him. Let me decide, okay?"
The other three looked at her. Tenten took a deep breath. "When he wakes up, we'll ask him what he was thinking."
"But we have to agree. No matter who he likes in the end, the rest of us are not allowed to have any objections. We're not allowed to oppose, get upset, or even hate him. We are still friends and comrades."
"Can everyone do this?"
Tenten was the first to extend her hand. To Ino's and Sakura's surprise, the next to join was Hinata.
Seeing the three of them staring at her, Hinata blushed to the roots of her ears, but this time, she didn't faint. Instead, she said with determination, "No matter what, I will follow Makoto-kun, until the day he despises me."
She didn't dare to say that her father had hinted she was to become a member of his family. That was too blatant.
"Then I'm in too!"
"Me too!"
Ino and Sakura placed their hands on top almost at the same time. The two of them glared at each other, as if to argue about who was first.
But Tenten said, "Alright, let's go down quickly. It's really not right for us to be doing this here instead of being with him."
The other three nodded, and the four of them quickly but quietly went downstairs.
At this time, Kurenai was already sitting by the bed, looking at the now-sitting-up Makoto with a strange expression.
"The doctor said you've awakened 'unconscious healing'?"
"So that's what this move is called. I cut my finger while cooking before and noticed that I seemed to have this change."
He feigned a look of partial understanding. Kurenai helplessly covered her face. Thinking of the girls who were probably still crying their eyes out, she didn't know how this was all going to end.
Oh well. It's not her mess to clean up anyway.
"It's good that you're alright. But even with this ability, you can't do such a foolish thing."
"Also, although the Hokage will most likely find out about this, you still have to keep it a secret. Otherwise, there are many people in the ninja world who would love to conduct human experiments."
He nodded. "I know, Big Sister Kurenai."
"Since you still call me your sister, then I must give you a piece of advice. Even if you truly see the First Hokage as your idol, before you have his strength, don't do the things he did."
She wanted to say more, but he, sensing the four girls coming downstairs, said, "Big Sister Kurenai, do you remember what I said before?"
Her heart skipped a beat. She pretended not to remember. "What did you say?"
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