For Naruto and Sasuke from Kakashi's class, and Obito, Kakashi, and the others from Minato's class, it had been less than an hour since they last saw Orochimaru.
But for Orochimaru, seeing these people before him was a memory from three years ago. He looked at Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki, who appeared unchanged since their last meeting, and then shifted his gaze to Tsunade and Dan Katō.
He asked only one question:
"Can they be saved?"
That tone of trust made Minato Namikaze immediately realize that their time travel had only brought them to another timeline in the same parallel world.
Once he grasped this, Naruto asked,
"What about Nawaki?"
"Alive."
As he spoke, Orochimaru walked over to Dan Katō. On the surface, Dan Katō's injuries didn't seem as severe as Nawaki's had been. But in reality, Dan Katō's internal injuries were much more serious. By Orochimaru's assessment, the man was beyond saving—he wouldn't survive under these conditions.
His eyes showed sorrow. Miracles couldn't happen every time. Human life was far too fragile, like fireworks that disappeared in an instant.
"Give up," he said.
"He's lost over a third of his blood. Setting aside his other organs, his kidneys are completely destroyed. There's no chance of survival. Further treatment would be pointless. It's better to end his suffering sooner."
Upon hearing Orochimaru's words, Obito and Naruto looked at him in disbelief. The look in their eyes—a mixture of disbelief and faint disappointment—suddenly reminded Orochimaru of someone else.
Jiraiya.
A strange, unwelcome irritation stirred within him, an emotion Orochimaru couldn't fully identify.
Naruto turned back, seeing Grandma Tsunade crying, pleading for Dan not to give up, and Rin and Sakura desperately trying to maintain their composure while continuing their efforts to save him, letting the heavy rain stream down their faces.
He turned back to Orochimaru and asked,
"What gives you the right to make them give up?"
Orochimaru was momentarily stunned by the question. Even Jiraiya had been the same—always opposing him, but each time, he'd hesitate to speak, then walk away to handle things himself, using action to refute Orochimaru's ideas.
Truthfully, Orochimaru really disliked this about Jiraiya.
"I'm asking you—what right do you have to make them give up?!"
Naruto's fearless, rebellious spirit flared up. His defiance was so strong it seemed like he was ready to confront Orochimaru head-on.
Thinking back to when Naruto Uzumaki's words had sparked Nawaki's will to survive, which had played a key role in saving him from the fatal blast of the explosive tag, Orochimaru seriously considered the question.
"Why? Because there's no point in continuing treatment," Orochimaru replied. "He's beyond saving. Even if we somehow stopped the bleeding, Dan Katō has lost more blood than his body can handle. And look closely..."
He motioned for Naruto to observe Dan Katō's severely damaged abdomen.
The torrential rain lashed against the wounds Orochimaru had just sealed, causing them to reopen. The blood mixed with rainwater, seeping into the ground. The sight of the blood and mud beneath Dan Katō, along with the unformed viscera in his abdomen, was both terrifying and disgusting.
"He's beyond saving," Orochimaru repeated.
This was the second time he'd declared Dan Katō as beyond saving.
Naruto stared at Orochimaru, his usually messy blond hair soaked and stuck to his face, without the usual goofy grin. If Sakura had seen him now, she would have found this version of Naruto surprisingly attractive—there was a sort of elite handsomeness about him.
Orochimaru, noticing his silence, continued,
"Can't you see his internal organs are ruptured? His kidneys are completely gone. He won't survive! Unless someone can donate their organs to him right now, and they'd have to be a perfect match. Do you really think we can perform such a procedure under these circumstances? Both people could die here."
Orochimaru rarely spoke so long unless it was about some esoteric theory, and the rising and falling of his tone even revealed a hint of anger. Usually, only Jiraiya could provoke him to this point.
"So what exactly are you trying to say?" Naruto asked Orochimaru coldly.
Orochimaru's temper boiled over. He wanted to stab the brat with his kunai right then and there.
"So you're the one who wants me to say it! Katō Dan! He's beyond saving!"
Dan Katō... he's beyond saving...
The quarrel behind them wasn't entirely lost on Tsunade. Especially when Orochimaru uttered those words for the third time: He's beyond saving!
Rin Nohara and Sakura saw it—despair filling Tsunade's wide, strained eyes. Even the chakra glow in her hands vanished…
Even she had given up.
Tsunade stared blankly at the mangled wound, at the jumbled mess of internal organs, at the mud and blood mixing together, at her crimson-stained hands. She smelled the pungent, blood-soaked stench that even the heavy rain couldn't wash away, feeling the sticky, clammy sensation in her palms...
What was this? Blood…
What did ninjas live with? Death...
Nausea rose in her throat.
Fear made her tremble.
With Tsunade, the mainstay of Medical Ninjutsu, incapacitated, the pressure on Sakura and Rin suddenly grew immense!
Meanwhile, Naruto began his counterattack the moment Orochimaru uttered, "Dan Katō is beyond saving," for the third time.
"I understand."
This single sentence from Naruto caused his father, Minato Namikaze, and his teacher, Kakashi Hatake—both intimately familiar with his son and student's nature—to freeze for an instant. But only for an instant, for they knew…
Naruto would never concede defeat like this!
Sure enough...
Naruto declared to Orochimaru, "I get it now. You're nothing but a coward!"
"!!!"
Tsunade, gripped by hemophobia, jolted awake.
Orochimaru froze. No one had ever dared speak to him like this, and no one had ever...
...dared lecture him like this.
Naruto confronted Orochimaru head-on: "You're not just a coward yourself! You're afraid of others succeeding!!"
His roar in the rain drew everyone's gaze.
"You won't dare try, you fear failure, and you won't let others succeed!" Naruto raged. "So when others strive, you constantly warn them not to try! You want them to be cowards like you!"
Naruto spoke thus because he recalled Obito's earlier conversation with the 'Masked Man.'
Losing, becoming obsessed with the past, afraid to look forward.
Even for things within reach in the future, worrying about what if they were lost before they were even obtained.
Naruto truly couldn't comprehend this mindset!
"If it were me, even if there was just a sliver of hope, I wouldn't give up! Because I absolutely refuse to regret today's choices years from now! Wondering if I could have salvaged everything back then if I'd just tried harder!!"
"! ! ! !"
Absolutely refuse to regret today's choices years from now.
Wondering if I could have salvaged everything back then if I'd just tried harder.
Naruto Uzumaki's words struck deep into Tsunade's heart, moving her and helping her overcome that moment of confusion.
The slight tremor and goosebumps that had just surfaced vanished. She whispered to the two Medical-nin still holding their ground:
"I'm sorry."
Hum – –
The chakra light in her hand illuminated the storm-darkened night once more.
Over there, Naruto's temper was completely out of control, and it seemed like all the pent-up frustration he'd held against Orochimaru in their world was about to erupt too!
"I really don't get you! Didn't Nawaki get saved already? Isn't that proof enough that effort pays off?!" Naruto snapped.
"Even if you try and still fail, at least you'll only regret not being strong enough to protect your comrades. You won't regret not giving it one last shot today, right?!"
"So what if I try?!" Orochimaru, provoked by Naruto's words, retorted sharply. "Human life is so fragile! Even if we save them this time, what about the next time? Don't forget—ninjas live alongside death!"
"......"
If Orochimaru's words had swayed Tsunade and many others here, Naruto's rebuke had now solidified their resolve.
The scales had clearly tipped to one side!!
"Then you shouldn't be a ninja."
Naruto said, "The guy named Dan once said..."
He was referring to Dan Katō from the future, the one reincarnated by Orochimaru's Edo Tensei.
"He wanted to end this war, to protect the important comrades in the village! So his dream was to become Hokage, to bring peace and happiness to everyone."
In the silence, Tsunade felt the heart in her hand seem to gain strength again—at least it had just given a heavy, powerful beat!
She suddenly recalled what the cherry-haired girl had said: to have Naruto "say a few more encouraging words to Dan."
She also remembered what Nawaki's comrade had said years ago—about that blond youth who, with just a few words, had reignited Nawaki's consciousness and fierce will to survive!
Naruto's voice rang out: "When you have a dream, march straight ahead! Even if the path is filled with pain, I won't back down! But if you're afraid of the setbacks along the way, then stop trying! Go back and be an ordinary person, and then watch…"
His eyes burned with boundless hope and reverence!
"Then watch me become Hokage! Change all of this!!"
"!!!!"
Orochimaru stared at Naruto Uzumaki before him, speechless for a long moment.
Sasuke, however, let a smirk tug at the corner of his lips. "That idiot… actually scolded Orochimaru like he was some brat, like Inari."
Back in the Land of Waves, hadn't Inari acted exactly like this moment—telling Tsunade to stop trying, convinced that killing Dan Katō early would free him from his suffering?
He was just a coward, terrified of reliving his pain after experiencing it.
Naruto couldn't be bothered to argue. He muttered, "Failure? I'm used to it. Someone who struggles even with the Clone Technique can't possibly understand how geniuses like you think."
Yes, precisely because he had once been a genius, he found setbacks harder to bear.
Conversely, those who endured hardships from childhood grew stronger!
"You truly live up to your reputation." Mitsuki, who had remained silent and nearly overlooked, spoke up. "Though I'd heard of your exploits and always admired you, seeing is believing. Today has truly opened my eyes."
"The Seventh… Hokage-sama."
The Seventh!
Hokage?!
Tsunade, Orochimaru, and the two Konoha companions beside Tsunade stared in shock at Naruto Uzumaki and Mitsuki.
These people…
Who on earth are they?!