Kurenai had delivered Ryun to Konoha Hospital just in time.
If she had arrived a little later, Ryun's injuries would have healed.
Of course, Kurenai herself was unaware of this; to prevent his wounds from healing too quickly, Ryun had to use his own medical ninja knowledge to stop them from closing.
Otherwise, Ryun really wouldn't have known how to continue playing out this scene.
Kurenai laid Ryun on a hospital bed, and the next tasks would be left to the doctors to handle.
Although she also knew medical ninjutsu, she wasn't a professional after all; at times like this, one should trust in the abilities of the specialists.
However, just as Kurenai was about to leave the hospital room, she noticed a blood-stained envelope on the floor.
Puzzled, she picked it up and immediately saw the hole pierced through it by a kunai, realizing it was Ryun's own letter.
Her expression shifting slightly, she took the letter and left the room.
Several girls immediately gathered around her outside the door, asking about Ryun's condition.
"Don't worry, his life isn't in danger. His wound is in his abdomen, as you saw," Kurenai reassured them.
Just as she was about to ask if anyone knew what the letter was about, Tenten suddenly gasped.
"What is it, Tenten? What's wrong?"
Several pairs of eyes snapped towards Tenten, whose eyes were turning red.
Not long ago, she had been sharing a romantic moment with Ryun under the moonlight, and now, in the blink of an eye, he was seriously injured and back in the hospital again.
It seemed she and Ryun were fated, but couldn't this place of fate be anywhere other than a hospital?
"Tenten, what exactly is this? Just tell us!" Sakura, the most impatient, had already grabbed Tenten's shoulders and was shaking her.
"I don't know either. Ryun was just about to show this to me when you all showed up," Tenten explained.
"Then Naruto appeared, and Ryun chased after him. He hadn't even opened it yet."
"You mean... this letter is addressed to you?" asked Ino.
Tenten nodded, then said uncertainly, "From Ryun's tone at the time, I think it might also be addressed to one of us."
"He said he couldn't go on not making things clear anymore, that there were important things he had to state clearly."
The girls exchanged glances, their hearts filled with tension and unease, yet also brimming with anticipation when looking at the letter.
Seeing they were about to become distracted and restless, Kurenai shook her head and said, "I'll open it."
"Ryun calls me 'big sister,' and I think he acknowledges me as such, so opening it shouldn't count as prying."
Hearing Kurenai say this, the girls immediately fell silent.
But just as Kurenai was tearing open the envelope, Hinata spoke up, "Um, is it okay to do this here? What if we make noise, won't it disturb Ryun?"
"Then let's go to the rooftop. It'll probably be a while before we can see Ryun anyway."
The girls nodded; although they were reluctant to leave Ryun's side, they were even more curious about the letter's contents.
So they quietly left the emergency room and headed up to the rooftop.
Less than half a minute after they left, a doctor walked out of the resuscitation room with a surprised expression.
He wanted to share with Ryun's family the astonishing discovery that Ryun possessed the same markless healing ability as the First Hokage, only to find no one there.
Unable to do so, he could only report this matter to the ninja on duty at Konoha Hospital, who would then inform the Hokage.
"I'll start reading now."
Kurenai cleared her throat, looking at the strong, well-formed handwriting, only to find herself getting nervous first.
What if this letter were addressed to her?—Kurenai subconsciously thought, but with four pairs of eyes staring at her, she could only read it dutifully.
"Under the moonlight, on this night of swirling cherry blossoms, I dreamt of such a scene."
"You, in a sunroom adorned with green leaves by the window; the clash of your tools, as pleasant as wind chimes; your bright smile, buried in soft bedding; you are, in my eyes, a beautiful pink-hued dream."
"I quietly await your footsteps filling the empty compound; this is my sincere wish, to once again say 'the night is beautiful' under the same roof."
"To — From Ryun."
Listening to these tender words, the girls each wore an expression of longing.
And when Kurenai read who the letter was addressed to, their hearts leaped into their throats.
But Kurenai ultimately didn't read out a name, which made all the girls anxious.
"Tokubetsu Jonin Kurenai, who is this letter for?!"
"Right, why didn't you read it out?"
"It's not that I didn't want to, it's just that—"
Kurenai showed them the front of the letter; the spot pierced by the kunai was precisely the lower part of the letter. The blood had smeared the ink, making the characters illegible.
The girls looked at each other, their emotions seesawing between immense expectation and joy, their expressions becoming somewhat dazed.
Seeing this, Kurenai couldn't help but sigh inwardly; her little brother truly had astonishing charm.
Not to mention them, even she had felt her blood boil when she saw Ryun passionately rushing to save Naruto.
He truly was the heroic figure she had always dreamed of... it's just a pity this hero was a bit of a player.
Oh well, whether he's a player or not wasn't her concern; she'd leave that to these girls.
"Here's the letter. You girls decide what to do."
"But I hope you won't disturb Ryun's rest."
The girls nodded repeatedly; on that point, they would certainly comply.
"Then you discuss what to do. I'll wait by the hospital room door. It can't be left unattended."
"If Ryun wakes up and finds no one there, he'll be sad."
Kurenai recalled the days when Ryun had been so dependent on her; back then, he truly could have been her little brother.
It's just a pity this little brother had stepped up, wanting to be her big hero—if Ryun brought this up again, should she accept it?
Such a difficult thing to consider...
After Kurenai left, the girls each held onto a corner of the letter, none willing to let go.
Normally, they'd be laughing and joking.
Although they could all see each other's feelings for Ryun, none had ever imagined it would come to this point.
With a ripping sound, the letter tore further at the spot pierced by the kunai. The girls were startled and finally released the letter.
Finally, Tenten took the letter and said, "I'm the oldest, and I was the first to know Ren. Let me decide, okay?"
The three girls looked at her. Tenten took a deep breath and said, "When Ren wakes up, we'll ask him what he's really thinking."
"But we have to agree: no matter who Ren ends up liking in the end, the rest of us are not allowed to object, and definitely not oppose, sulk, or even hate Ren for it. We'll still be friends and teammates."
"Can everyone do this?"
Tenten was the first to extend her hand. To Ino and Sakura's surprise, Hinata was next.
Seeing the other three staring at her, Hinata blushed to the roots of her ears, but this time she didn't faint. Instead, she insisted, "No matter what, I will follow Ryun, until the day he tires of me."
Hinata didn't dare mention her father's hint that she should become a member of Ryun's family; that was too explicit.
"Then count me in!"
"And me!"
Ino and Sakura placed their hands on top almost simultaneously.
The two glared at each other, as if arguing over who was first, but Tenten said, "Alright, let's head down quickly. It's really not right to be doing this up here instead of being with Ren."
The three girls nodded, and the four of them quickly but quietly went downstairs.
At that moment, Kurenai was already sitting by the bedside, looking at the now-sitting Ryun with a strange expression.
"The doctor said you've awakened the Markless Healing?"
"So that technique is called Markless Healing? I cut my finger while cooking before and realized I seemed to have this change."
Ryun looked as if he half-understood, and Kurenai helplessly covered her face. Thinking about how the girls might still be crying and fussing, she didn't know how this would be resolved.
Oh well, it wasn't her problem to resolve anyway.
"As long as you're okay. Even with this ability, you can't do such foolish things."
"Also, although the Hokage will likely find out about this, you still need to keep it a secret. Otherwise, there are many in the ninja world who would be happy to conduct human experiments."
Ryun nodded and said, "I understand, Sister Kurenai."
"Since you still call me sister, then I have to advise you too. Even if you really idolize the First Hokage, don't do the things he did until you have his strength."
Kurenai wanted to say more, but sensing the four girls starting to come downstairs, Ryun said, "Sister Kurenai, do you still remember what I said before?"
Kurenai's heart skipped a beat. Pretending not to recall, she said, "What did you say?"
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