It had been four days since Naruto was admitted to the hospital.
The doctors were surprised by his recovery speed. They had expected him to stay in bed for weeks. But his body healed at an unnatural pace. They only needed to help a little, some medicine, a few medical jutsu, and basic treatment.
The rest… his body handled on its own. From half-dead to walking again in just four days.
Even the senior medics were whispering about it.
Naruto stood near the hospital bed, doing simple morning stretches. His ribs still hurt a little, and his jaw felt stiff, but it was no longer broken.
The door slid open.
"So, how is my favorite patient today?" Dr. Yamahiro asked cheerfully as he walked inside.
Naruto stopped stretching and looked at him calmly.
"I am recovering well, Dr. Yamahiro," Naruto replied politely.
Dr. Yamahiro liked this child.
Most children cried, screamed, or threw tantrums in the hospital. They hated medicine. They hated needles.
Naruto did none of that. He barely complained.
He barely talked.
Though to be fair, part of that was because his jaw had been broken.
Still, Dr. Yamahiro appreciated the quiet nature of the boy.
"Good, good," the doctor said with a nod. Then he reached into his coat pocket. "Here. Take this."
He held out a small pink candy.
Naruto looked at it suspiciously.
"Should you be giving candy to a patient?" Naruto asked flatly.
Dr. Yamahiro smiled awkwardly.
"Come on, Naruto. You are barely a patient at this point," he said with a small smirk. "And it may look like candy, but it is actually a medicine ball. It helps with recovery. Strawberry flavor."
Naruto stared at him with a blank expression.
"Well… whatever."
He took the candy and placed it in his mouth.
Strawberry.
Not bad.
Meanwhile, Dr. Yamahiro flipped through Naruto's medical report.
"Hmm," he murmured. "Everything looks stable."
He looked up.
"Well, Naruto, we have done all we can. You are almost fully healed. I will prescribe a few medicines. The nurse will give them to you. After that… you are free to leave."
Free to leave.
Naruto's expression did not change.
But inside.
Leave?
Leave to where?
There was no way he was going back to that orphanage. Not after what happened.
As that thought crossed his mind,
A sudden gust of wind entered through the window.
Leaves flew into the room.
They began to spin in the air, forming a small swirling tornado in the middle of the room.
Naruto instinctively flinched. The leaves burst outward. And when they settled.
A tall figure stood there.
ANBU uniform.
Grey flak jacket.
Fox mask.
Silver hair.
Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly.
Kakashi Hatake.
Silence filled the hospital room. Three people stood there.
Kakashi Hatake, curious.
Dr. Yamahiro, slightly anxious at the sudden appearance of an ANBU.
And Naruto.
Naruto tried his best to act like he did not know who was behind the fox mask. Inside, he knew very well. But he could not show that.
Still… this was an opportunity. He needed to build some kind of connection with Kakashi.
Naruto gave a small bow.
"Thank you, Mr. Fox, for saving my life," he said politely.
Kakashi blinked behind his mask. He had not expected that.
This one thanked him.
"No need to thank me," Kakashi replied calmly. "It was just a job." Even as he said it, something about the words felt hollow.
Kakashi then handed Naruto a small black bag. Naruto looked at it in confusion but took it.
Dr. Yamahiro stepped forward, trying to speak.
"Excuse me, ANBU-san, may I ask-"
"Doctor," Kakashi interrupted calmly, "I will take it from here."
Before either of them could react,
Kakashi grabbed Naruto around the waist.
Naruto's eyes widened. The doctor gasped. And then
They vanished.
Body Flicker.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The world blurred.
Buildings flashed past in streaks. The air whipped against Naruto's face. His stomach churned violently. After several quick movements, they finally stopped in front of an apartment building.
Kakashi let go. Naruto dropped to his knees.
He quickly opened the black bag and leaned forward.
"Blargh!"
He emptied his stomach onto the ground.
His whole body trembled.
Naruto looked up weakly at Kakashi.
"You are a bad man," he said tiredly. "A very bad man."
Then
"Blargh!"
He threw up again.
Kakashi just gave him an eye smile..
"…Sorry?"
After a few minutes, Naruto finally stopped vomiting.
His legs were shaky, but he stood up.
Kakashi opened the apartment door.
They stepped inside.
It was a simple place. A small living area connected to a kitchen.
One bedroom.
One bathroom.
Nothing fancy. But clean.
Quiet.
Empty.
Kakashi looked down at Naruto.
"From now on, you will live here," he said. He watched Naruto carefully, trying to see how the boy would react.
Naruto looked around slowly.
No crying babies. No shouting matron. No chores waiting for him. No sharing space with other children.
Just silence.
Privacy.
Well… not full privacy. ANBU would likely still watch him. But this was as much freedom as a jinchūriki could get.
And most importantly-
He could train. Without hiding.
Without fear of someone walking in.
Naruto felt something warm rise in his chest.
"I love it," he whispered softly.
It was quiet. But Kakashi heard it.
His visible eye widened slightly.
Then it softened.
Maybe…
Maybe this was for the best.
Kakashi turned slightly toward the window, looking at the village outside.
He hoped that this decision is right.
Kakashi turned toward Naruto. He held out two things.
First, a small metal key. "This is the key to the apartment," Kakashi said. "Do not lose it."
Naruto took it carefully with both hands and nodded seriously.
Then Kakashi handed him a small pouch. It felt heavy for its size.
Inside were money. "Five thousand ryo," Kakashi said.
He picked up one coin and held it up between his fingers.
"This," he said, "is ryo. It is a promise."
Naruto tilted his head slightly.
Inside, he already understood how money worked. But he did not know how this world's currency worked. How much was a lot? How much was little? Was 5000 ryo enough for a month? Or only a week?
So he listened carefully.
"It represents value," Kakashi continued. "Money is something people agree has worth. You give it to someone, and they give you something equal in value."
Naruto scratched his head, pretending to think hard.
"So… it is like a universal trade?" he asked.
Kakashi pointed at him.
"Surprisingly accurate."
Naruto gave a small nod, acting proud.
"That money can be exchanged for food, clothes, supplies…" Kakashi paused slightly. "Ramen."
Naruto's eyes lit up just a little at that word. Kakashi noticed.
"Money," Kakashi continued, standing up straight, "is just a tool. It is not good or bad. It depends on how you use it. You earn it by helping people. The more useful you are to others, the more you can earn."
Naruto looked up at him.
"So I can get money by helping people?"
"Not right now," Kakashi replied calmly. "You are too young. The Hokage will provide for you."
He continued, "When you graduate from the Academy and become a shinobi, you will complete missions. You will help people. That is how you earn money."
Naruto nodded again.
On the outside, he tried to look like a child listening to a serious lesson. On the inside, his mind was calculating.
Five thousand ryo.
How much is rent?
How much is food?
How much is ramen?
Is this enough for one month?
Or will I need to save carefully?
I guess I will have to find out myself.
After finishing the explanation, Kakashi looked down at him.
"Do you understand?"
"I get the idea," Naruto replied.
Kakashi gave a small nod.
"You can collect your monthly stipend from the Hokage Tower," he said. "Administration block. First day of each month."
Naruto stored that information carefully.
"The kitchen is stocked with one week's worth of food," Kakashi added.
Then he reached into a pouch and pulled out a small book.
"A cookbook."
Naruto looked at him with a completely blank expression.
"I cannot read," Naruto said flatly.
Kakashi's visible eye curved slightly in amusement.
"It has pictures."
Naruto stared at him for a moment.
Fair enough.
The next second, leaves began swirling around Kakashi.
Naruto sighed.
"Please not again"
But before he could finish, Kakashi vanished in a swirl of leaves.
Silence returned to the apartment.
Naruto looked around.
Leaves were scattered all over the floor.
He stared at them with a deadpan expression.
"…I am going to take a nap."
He walked slowly toward the bedroom.
The bed looked soft.
Clean.
His.
He lay down and pulled the blanket over himself.
For the first time since coming to this world, He felt a little safe.
And within minutes, Naruto Uzumaki fell asleep.