Konoha Hospital, Ward 404.
Sora touched the hospital gown he was wearing and sighed as he looked at the fruit nearby.
Actually, his physical injuries had healed long ago, but the attending physician kept him under mandatory observation because he seemed constantly in a daze.
Over the past few days, doctors had been checking on him periodically, and a psychiatrist counseled him every day.
This psychiatrist’s counseling methods were quite varied; he seemed very experienced with cases like this.
He probably encountered children who had lost their parents quite often.
Where would those counseled children go?
Where would an outsider like him be placed?
Konoha hadn’t made any arrangements for him yet.
Would he be sent to an orphanage?
Orphanages in the Ninja World weren’t great.
The most memorable one was Yakushi Kabuto; that guy was trained as a spy and, with his exceptional talent, eventually became a spy for multiple factions.
His experience wasn’t good, but at least he survived.
Other orphans were either scouted by Danzo to replenish the members of Root, or they ended up in someone’s laboratory.
Just as he was lost in thought, a gentle knock sounded at the door, interrupting his musings.
“Come in,” Sora replied, snapping back to reality.
The door opened, and a figure, though somewhat hunched yet still upright, walked in.
The man’s hair and beard were already grey, and his face was lined with wrinkles from the passing years, yet his eyes were gentle and deep.
He wore a white coat embroidered with “Third Hokage,” and his aura was steady.
Sora looked at him with some confusion.
This person was also very familiar to him; he was the current leader of Konoha, the Third Hokage—Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Why was the Hokage here?
He was just an ordinary outsider.
At most, he had the Uzumaki bloodline, but he only had the bloodline, not the family heritage.
Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly walked to the bedside.
His gentle gaze swept over Sora’s body.
Seeing that he was in good spirits and had no major issues, he spoke with a smile, “Little Sora…
can I call you that?” “I am the leader of this Village, the Hokage of Konoha.
You can call me Grandpa Sandaime or Grandpa Hokage.” Hiruzen Sarutobi’s voice was like a warm spring breeze, making one instinctively lower their guard.
He paused, his tone gradually becoming more serious.
“Regarding your parents, we are deeply sorry.
Konoha has confirmed the identity of the person who attacked you.
He is a Bounty Hunter Ninja—someone who will do anything for money.” “It hasn’t been long, so we haven’t been able to find out who the employer behind him is yet.
But rest assured, the Uzumaki Clan and Konoha have always been on good terms.
Konoha will do its best to help you with the misfortune your family suffered, regardless of who is behind him.” Sora listened quietly, his fingers unconsciously clutching the quilt.
Bounty Hunter Ninja, the employer behind him…
these words pricked his heart like needles.
If it weren’t for these people, his parents wouldn’t have died, and his family could still be living a peaceful life in a border town.
But now, it was too late for anything.
Looking at Sora’s lowered head and dim-eyed expression, Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed softly.
This child had experienced the tragedy of losing his home and family at such a young age; he certainly wouldn’t be able to accept the reality right away.
He thought for a moment, and his tone became gentle again, as if coaxing a child.
“Little Sora, stay in Konoha from now on.
Konoha currently has another child from the Uzumaki Clan just like you, and he is two years older than you.
You two are close in age and from the same clan.
If you’re willing, I can arrange for you to live closer to him.
What do you think?” Sora suddenly looked up, a glimmer of light flashing in his eyes as he looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The fellow clansman the Sandaime mentioned…
combined with the young versions of Kakashi and Uchiha Itachi he saw yesterday, and the fact that the Sandaime was currently in power with a head of white hair, he could roughly guess the current timeline.
The Uzumaki child around his age…
at this time, it could only be Naruto.
Being arranged to live with Naruto?
That was much better than going to an orphanage.
No matter which orphanage he went to, he might not necessarily survive, even with his status as a member of the Uzumaki Clan.
“Um…
Grandpa Sandaime?” Sora spoke tentatively, his voice still a bit timid.
“Can you tell me…
about the fellow clansman you just mentioned?
I want to know what kind of person he is.” Sora’s hand clutching the quilt tightened, his heart filled with both anticipation and nervousness.
He wanted to confirm if the Naruto of this world was the bright and cheerful boy from his memories, and not some Tsukuyomi world Naruto or some strange Naruto.
“Of course,” Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled, his eyes softening a bit.
“That child’s name is Uzumaki Naruto.
Unlike yours, he has very conspicuous blond hair.
As for his personality, he’s a very cheerful and lively child.
Although he can be a bit mischievous at times, he’s very kind-hearted.” Hearing all these descriptions, Sora secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
It matched the Naruto in his memories perfectly.
It seemed this world wasn’t some “strange Ninja World” that deviated from the main storyline.
This way, his future was at least predictable, providing him with some sense of security.
“Thank you, Grandpa Sandaime.” Sora looked up, his gaze becoming firmer.
“I’m willing to stay, and living with him is fine too.” He didn’t hesitate for long.
For him right now, this was the best choice.
The Uzumaki Clan and Konoha were on good terms.
As one of the few pure Uzumaki, staying in Konoha was much safer than going anywhere else.
Besides, being with Naruto was better than being all alone.
He was actually someone who couldn’t stand being lonely.
“Good, good.
In that case, I’ll take you to see him right now.” Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled contentedly, the wrinkles on his face smoothing out.
“At this hour, that child is probably still sleeping.
Let’s go wake him up.” He was actually making his own calculations: Naruto always lived alone without family or friends.
Although he was cheerful, he was inevitably lonely in his heart.
As the Third Hokage, he was usually busy with affairs and didn’t have much time to spend with him.
His grandson Konohamaru couldn’t even walk yet, so he had to worry about things over there as well.
Now that Sora was here, he could be Naruto’s companion, allowing the two children to keep each other company and build a bond.
Yesterday, he received a report from Kakashi saying the team had picked up a child on the way back.
He hadn’t paid much attention at first—the Shinobi World War had only ended a few years ago, and orphans were everywhere, a common sight.
But when he learned the child was a survivor of the Uzumaki Clan, he immediately took it seriously.
The Uzumaki bloodline was precious, and Sora’s arrival was a good thing for Konoha.
Letting Sora accompany Naruto as he grew up would both stabilize the Jinchuriki’s emotions and allow Konoha to absorb an Uzumaki member, killing two birds with one stone.
Even…
He even had a backup plan he was reluctant to mention: if anything happened to Naruto in the future, causing the Nine-Tailed to go on a rampage, Sora, as an Uzumaki, might become a new Jinchuriki vessel.
Thinking of this, Hiruzen Sarutobi’s eyes darkened.
Of course, he didn’t want that day to come, as it would mean something had happened to Naruto and Konoha might fall into disaster.
He only hoped that Sora and Naruto could grow up healthy and happy in Konoha like ordinary children, having a stable childhood and becoming new pillars for Konoha’s future.
“Little Sora, let’s go.” Hiruzen Sarutobi reached out and gently patted Sora’s head, his tone tender.
“I’ll take you to meet your new friend.” Sora nodded, pulled back the quilt, and got out of bed to follow the Third Hokage out of the ward.
Being young was a hassle; it made it easy for people to pat your head.
As he left, he looked back at the hospital.
His life had already begun to change from the moment he stepped foot in here.